


Demons Love The Sweetest

by Crystallinee



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dark, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Blood and Gore, Brotherly Love, Dark, Drama & Romance, ItaSasu - Freeform, M/M, Occult, Protectiveness, Smut, Supernatural Elements, madaizu
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-22
Updated: 2016-01-22
Packaged: 2018-05-15 14:06:44
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 30,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5788069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crystallinee/pseuds/Crystallinee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Itachi and Shisui are investigating a violent serial killer case. Sasuke is tired of living a sheltered life away from danger. His entire world starts changing when he uncovers a dark family secret, that not only involves himself and Itachi, but another pair of brothers. ItaSasu, MadaIzu. Modern AU. Dark.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Symphony of Destruction

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This fanfic contains graphic descriptions of violence and gore, as well as sexual themes.
> 
> Many thanks to my awesome beta reader May, mza418.

 

 

The corner of the street looked like an intricate piece of art, painted by hand with the utmost care.

The wine red color created splendid patterns, going in circles surrounding the body on the dirty pavement. The painting looked like a spider's web, ending in a big, perfectly symmetrical circle that surrounded the entire scene. There was so much of the rich color; several liters must have been used to create the unique, detailed picture.

The work must have taken hours to create, swirling in morbid patterns and circles, almost looking like a student's bored scribbling. A darker red, almost black color was used to paint three commas, placed in the shape of a triangle within the red circle.

In the middle of the circle, between the three dots, was where the victim was placed. Everything about her was well thought out and carefully performed: the way her white nightgown was neatly spread and splattered with symmetrical dark red stains; her long, black hair was arranged in a festive swirl; and her eyelashes and cheeks were painted with mascara.

She hadn't fallen or had been thrown there; someone had carefully carried and placed her there. Her skin was absolutely dry; there wasn't a single ounce of blood left in her body. Her arms were placed on her right side and her head tilted slightly upwards, as if someone had tried to perform life-saving exercises on her. Her dry, gray lips were parted, her eyelids closed and stained with fresh blood.

The stains on her dress suggested that she had had several open wounds that were left bleeding onto the cloth. Her hips were slashed with three cuts. Between her slightly parted legs, a perfectly straight trail of blood was left, ending in a dark puddle. She was placed so gracefully with not a strand of hair out of place. It looked as if she was sleeping peacefully.

The officers at the place had witnessed a lot in their days, but this was one of the most sickening crime scenes they had ever seen.

Shisui could feel himself pale, and he had to swallow hard to not throw up his dinner. He had been called here off-duty, after some passersby had called the police.

"That poor woman," he mumbled to himself. "I can't imagine what she had to go through…"

One of his colleagues shook his head, disgust in his eyes. "The sick motherfucker who did this… what demon would kidnap a young girl from her home and leave her in the streets like this?"

What unsettled Shisui the most wasn't the victim's blood that had been used like paint throughout the entire alley. Nor how young she seemed to be, probably just in her twenties. She had a face like a porcelain doll and her hair was styled as if she was going to a party, yet she wore pajamas without underwear on.

The thing that sickened him the most was the painted Sharingan that surrounded her body, the three dots. She was placed in the middle, where the pupil was supposed to be.

This was really bad. It could easily link back to his family, the Uchihas. The thought made him sick to his stomach. There weren't many left of them. What if the killer was an Uchiha?

No, there was no way. There was only the chief's family left, and they all worked in the name of justice. Moreover, it was physically impossible. Chief Uchiha and his wife didn't live in Japan at the moment, and that left only Itachi, Sasuke and himself.

His boss approached him and tore him out of his thoughts.

"Shisui," he grunted. "The police force is already heavily strained. I will leave you in charge of this case. You will only get a few men with you to work on this, but your ten years of experience should pay off by now. For your sake, you better solve this." He continued in a snide way: "After all, it seems to be a family affair, doesn't it?"

Shisui felt a cold lump in the bottom of his stomach. "Chief, I assure you –"

"You're wasting my time. Don't make your father disappointed. I will get back to you for the autopsy report. Now get to work!" he cut off grumpily.

Shisui hurriedly went to assist his colleagues. His boss always played the father-card when he wanted him to do something. Just because his father, Kagami Uchiha, had worked in the police force for over twenty years before he was shot to death during a case, Shisui had been worked even harder by his boss.

The whole alley was blocked by police tape. Shisui felt unsure – everything was up to him now. His boss's words were echoing inside of him – he knew he could never live up to his father's name. He simply didn't have his exceptional skills.

He found himself pulling out his cell phone from his uniform pocket, and calling the familiar number of the one who would always help him out in tough situations.

"Hey. Are you busy?"

"Shisui? What's going on?" Itachi sounded worried.

"I'm at a crime scene right now. Murder. Pretty gory. Also, I've just been assigned the entire case."

There was a short silence. "I'm coming right away. Where is it?"

"Just around the corner from that sushi restaurant, you know. I should probably warn you though –"

Itachi had already hung up. Less than ten minutes later, he parked his black SUV by the police cars. Shisui sighed in relief.

"Well well, if it isn't Itachi Uchiha himself?" Shisui's boss approached the man, something sarcastic in his tone.

"I have no business with you," Itachi cut him off coldly.

"Here for Shisui I suppose? Well, he needs all the help he can get," the police chief remarked crudely. "The intelligence that is known to run in your family must have skipped a generation after Kagami." He laughed to himself as he walked away.

Itachi inspected the range of the crime scene. "Don't listen to him, Shisui. I know you are just as bright as me – sometimes even better."

"Don't say that. You are still our pride, Itachi."

His cousin looked him in the eyes. "I will help you solve this, no matter what it takes. Moreover, that Sharingan the killer painted is pretty obvious. I think the message here is directed at us."

The dark shadow watched them unnoticed. "Assuming you know how to play my game, huh?" Sharp teeth were revealed as it parted its lips in an amused smile. His hands were still warm from the victim's fresh blood.

"It will be a pleasure playing with you," he smirked.

.

.

Nothing is as delightful as waking up beside the person you love. Itachi was convinced he hadn't done many good things in his life, but nothing could ever have been worth the joy of feeling his little brother's body in his arms every morning.

He smiled to himself when he thought about it: all the ways they'd taken each other in. From falling asleep in each other's arms, in an innocent and sweet brotherly embrace, to nights boiling with passion and lust, heated kisses on bare skin and sensual movements. Filling Sasuke with his love, no words could describe that feeling. He adored being inside of him and tasting his hot, feverish kisses.

This morning started just as delightfully as usual, but he realized with a sigh that he didn't have time to stay in with Sasuke today. The days they could spend together in peace were few, but it was always worth it when he got to hold him close and kiss him until he woke up.

Itachi gently kissed the soft, porcelain white forehead of his sleeping brother before leaving the bed. He already missed that warmth.

When Sasuke woke up sometime around noon (he knew his parents would strongly disapprove if they knew, but he didn't care), he found himself lying alone in the messed up sheets. His body was sprawled out and taking up almost the entire king-sized mattress.

He briefly wondered how Itachi could stand sharing a bed with him almost every night when Sasuke had the habit of moving around like crazy. Sometimes, he would find that he had managed to throw the heavy duvet onto the floor, using his poor brother's body as a blanket instead. Itachi never complained about it though.

Disappointed to find only himself in the much too big bed, he started looking around for his clothes, but there was no sight of them. All the expensive cushions had fallen onto the floor, but he couldn't care less. He hated waking up alone. He'd much rather have Itachi there with him, sleeping on a cheap wooden bed with an old, reused and dirty mattress than being alone with shamefully expensive bed materials.

They'd only get dirty either way – and there was nothing he hated as much as trying to wash semen away from Chinese silk linen. He'd much rather be in a prison cell if it meant Itachi would stay and make love to him all day long, feeding him his special 'breakfast' in bed. But some pillows would be nice of course, so he could bury himself in them while Itachi ravaged his body. He needed that so much…

Pushing aside the feeling of loneliness, he realized with a sigh that it was Saturday, on an uneven week. Which meant: Shisui-day. When their father made Itachi and Shisui join his juridical company, they had a lot of paperwork to do together. Moreover, the cousins had also started working on a recent case together.

Sasuke knew he shouldn't sulk for that; their father had a lot of reasons to make Itachi obey him – first of all, he could send Sasuke home to him and their mother any day. But still, nothing was fun without his Nii-san and he hated being without him.

It had even been a while since they had had one of those special nights, which he realized when he woke up with his boxers on, again. He really missed the feeling of Itachi's bare, gorgeous body pressed tightly to his own, his arms holding him with the promise of protection and care.

Sasuke put on a t-shirt and strode into the kitchen, where his brother and Shisui sat at the kitchen table with several piles of paper and two laptops in front of them. Both were casually dressed, and Itachi had put up his long hair in his usual ponytail.

Sasuke couldn't help but pout when he realized that their cousin would keep Itachi occupied the whole day.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," Itachi greeted him, a small smile on his lips despite not looking up from the screen.

"Bad morning, you mean." The younger didn't care if he came off as childish; he just wanted to spend time with his brother. Itachi already worked late almost every weekday.

Itachi gestured for him to come closer, and the younger guessed he'd just poke his forehead. Nevertheless, he couldn't keep himself from approaching the elder anyway. As soon as Sasuke came within his reach, Itachi cupped his face and kissed him softly, his lips gently crushing the younger's pout. Sasuke melted into the kiss, feeling his sour mood slowly disappear.

He wrapped his arms around his big brother's neck to keep him close, for a few more moments, before Shisui came to steal him away. Itachi smiled tenderly when the kiss ended.

"Sasuke, I promise we'll do something special tonight." His whispering words tickled the younger's earlobe, and Sasuke could barely contain a shiver. Itachi saw it too and raised an eyebrow. Sasuke could see in his eyes what he was thinking. But that'd have to wait, because reality needed immediate attention.

They heard Shisui chuckling quietly from his place across the table. "My, my, there are sparkles around you two."

Itachi pretended not to hear. "See you soon, Otouto." He winked at him.

Sasuke grabbed the juice can, lost in his own thoughts. God, when he finally got some time alone with his brother… nothing would stop him.

Itachi sighed and returned to his laptop. He wanted to solve this case as soon as possible, not only to get more free time to spend with Sasuke. He was also afraid of what would happen if the culprit was believed to be an Uchiha. It was truly strange indeed, considering how small their family had become.

"Do you think he's one of us?" Shisui spoke up, as if he had read his thoughts.

"We have many enemies," his cousin reminded him. "I think that it's more likely someone who wants to cast a bad light on our family. Maybe there is a hidden message in the way the victim was displayed."

"I just don't see what," Shisui complained. "We have no evidence at all – no fingerprints, footprints, fibers or hair. We aren't dealing with some sloppy madman here – this guy, whoever he is, is smart and calculating."

Itachi raised an eyebrow. "We are smarter. He doesn't know who he's dealing with."

"You don't think we need the FBI?"

"Father can play with them as he pleases. The Japanese police force is fully capable of handling this alone."

He took another look at the high-rendered pictures on his laptop. He didn't usually work on murder cases – the few times he had been asked to assist the police force, it was mostly innocent cases, such as tax frauds.

Itachi was exceptionally good at noticing details, which made him more suited for his actual profession, a prosecutor. Just like his father, he was known to be ruthless in court. No one could talk themselves out of a situation if they were up against Itachi Uchiha or his father.

It was his job to take care of the prosecution, but first they had to catch the guy. Which, of course, was the hardest part of the process.

The images were truly repulsive. How many liters had been taken from the victim's body? It looked as if someone had emptied a whole bucket of red paint all over the street, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case."

"How do you think he managed to empty her body without cutting her up?" Shisui wondered aloud and shuddered.

Itachi ignored the question. "Has she been identified?"

"Yeah. She's a civilian, no one important. Twenty years old, a college student. Worked in retail, it seems. No criminal record. Her relatives don't know anything. She had a boyfriend, but he was confirmed to be out of town that night. There was no drama surrounding her."

"I see." Itachi's voice was focused. "When people are killed because of jealousy or love drama, they always know their murderer – he might even have the key to her place and is often well-known among her friends. But the way she was dressed in her sleeping gown, and the fact that there weren't any signs that she put up a fight – I think she was picked randomly."

"They've been searching through her home. There were no signs of a burglary. Her three younger siblings were at home, waiting for her to come home. They were financially dependent on her, how sad…"

"We need to focus, Shisui. We're losing precious time."

"Now you sound exactly like my boss."

Itachi kept looking through the pictures. "Is the autopsy report done?"

"Not yet. But they've already made several inspections of her body. She has been cut on both of her hips with three slashes. Both her shoulders have been stabbed as well as her forehead, and guess where the trail of blood came from? The sicko went into her body with a knife, and carved at her cervix. Her eyelids were also cut, extremely lightly without damaging the eyes. He probably used a scalpel for that one. The rest seems to have been made with a heavier knife."

"The attack on her womb indicates a gender-discrimination crime. Maybe it is supposed to resemble abortion?" Shisui continued.

Itachi shook his head. "I think the eyes are a much more important symbol. The Sharingan – three dots. Three wounds on her hips. Three cuts on each of her eyelids. It's a pattern."

Shisui's phone started beeping. As he answered, Itachi looked up to see Sasuke standing in the doorway, fully clothed. "Nii-san, I'm going to Naruto's place."

"Fine, Otouto. Take care." Itachi still felt bad for leaving his brother alone that much, but no matter how much he wished to change it, he had his duties.

"… _Shit_. I'm coming right away." Shisui abruptly stood up, closing his laptop. He hung up and looked at Itachi. "Our dear murderer has struck again… only a couple of blocks away. I have to get there at once." His voice was grim.

Sasuke stopped in his tracks as he was heading towards the front door. "Wait, what have I missed? Are you two chasing a murderer?"

Itachi sent a quick glare to his cousin, who gave an apologetic look in return.

"I guess you could say that I am, but Itachi is just helping me out a little bit," Shisui tried to explain nervously.

"By discussing classified information with you at the kitchen table?" Sasuke replied sarcastically.

"Look, kiddo…" Damn him – Sasuke was far too witty and clever for his age. But being the little brother of a master of rhetoric speeches had its perks. His younger cousin crossed his arms in front of his chest. He really was Itachi's little brother, it wasn't hard to tell.

Shisui glanced at his clock. "This is actually classified info. I'm not allowed to give you any details."

"Except that my brother is working for you?"

"Sasuke," Itachi interfered. "He's in a real hurry."

"I'll call you later." Shisui quickly collected his documents and laptop and threw them into his bag before heading for the door.

"I better go with him," Itachi sighed. "Otouto, I want you to stay here. The streets aren't a safe place to be in right now."

"But I promised Naruto that I'd –"

"It doesn't matter. I want you to stay at home until we've searched the area. There is a murderer on the loose."

"I don't want _you_ to go out there." The younger boy's voice was defiant.

"I can take care of myself."

"Yeah, sure you can." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"Sasuke…" The elder stepped closer to him, seeking eye contact. His little brother still had his arms crossed, obviously upset.

"I'll be back in a few hours. I've got to assist Shisui on this. The more I help him, the quicker this will be over. I promise, I'll make it up to you tonight." He leaned closer and let his mouth touch Sasuke's. The younger boy sourly responded to the kiss, giving in. "Alright, then. Take care, Nii-san."

As Itachi left the big apartment, he couldn't help but feel uneasy. If their home wasn't practically impossible to break into, he'd be worried for his brother. He had made up his mind – he wouldn't stop until the guilty one was sitting behind bars. Everything depended on him and Shisui now.

He was completely unaware of the two dark eyes watching him from the shadows.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think so far.**


	2. Acting Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There's a lemon ahead so bring your paper~  
> Many thanks to my beta May. She's been working hard to get this chapter edited as quickly as possible!

 

Sasuke was left in the hallway, staring at the front door after Itachi had left. The silence seemed to echo in the room.

This was his chance.

He had already made up his mind. He was not going to stay home, watch TV, sulk and eat fast food until Itachi would eventually come home late at night and then just go straight to bed with him. And when Sasuke would wake up next morning, Itachi would already be gone again, deeply focused on his work.

No. He was fed up with being treated like a child. His entire life was dependent on Itachi's schedule. He loved him, but he had done enough waiting for him to come home. Now it was time for Sasuke to have some fun. He had been the obedient little brother for far too long – after all, he was a teenager and he did deserve to get out of this cage.

He had already picked up his phone, quickly sending a text in ten different directions. His friends wouldn't have to miss out on him any longer. He found himself grinning as he hurried to his wardrobe, choosing something comfortable yet fitting for tonight's occasion. He had so many clothes that he never got an excuse to use, except for when Itachi would take him out to some fancy restaurant.

He threw on a pair of tight black pants and a dark v-neck t-shirt that really showed off his chest. He ruffled his hair briefly as he threw a glance at the mirror. He was no longer the silent Uchiha Sasuke who stayed behind his brother's back.

It was time to get wild.

As he grabbed his keys and headed for the front door, he briefly wondered if he should leave a note for his brother. No, there was no point. Knowing Itachi and how hard he worked, he wouldn't be home until midnight. Sasuke planned to be home way before then – seriously, it was just a drink. Nothing more, nothing less.

Feeling more excited than he had been in a long time, he hit up a cab and headed for town.

"Wow, long time no see." Suigetsu punched him playfully when he joined his big group of friends downtown.

"He's so prude, staying in every night," Naruto grinned mischievously.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and nudged him. "Shut it, idiot. I actually get laid."

"Now and then," the blond reminded him with a sheepish smile. "You're totally gonna love this bar we found! Everyone's going there, and they don't care for ID's!"

Sasuke found himself surrounded by his friends – Naruto, Suigetsu, Kiba, Shino and Neji were all there, although the latter kept themselves in the background as usual. Sakura and Ino were there too, overexcited about everything.

"You've been missing out on so much, Uchiha," Kiba shouted. "You _totally_ haven't lived yet."

They eagerly dragged him to the busiest inner streets of the city. There were people everywhere, and Sasuke started feeling slightly uncomfortable but pushed the feeling aside. There, in a dark corner of the street, they found the rumored bar. Sasuke was pushed in by the people surrounding him. Loud music played and made it almost impossible to hear anything. Flickering spotlights blinded him.

"Hey, relax," Naruto chuckled and jerked him towards the counter. "What are you waiting for?"

"Exactly," his friends laughed. "C'mon Sasuke!"

Pushing his reprimanding thoughts away, Sasuke pushed another man aside as he tried to get himself some space. The man turned around furiously and Kiba kicked him. They all laughed hysterically and Sasuke felt himself relaxing. Someone handed him a drink and he found himself taking it.

"Wait – I've been told never to accept a drink from a stranger."

Suigetsu grinned. "You truly haven't lived, Sasuke. Who cares, no one can tell you anything here." He emptied his drink in one sip.

"Whoo, let's get drunk!" It was Naruto, of course. "No adults, no responsibility, just fun!"

Suigetsu leaned in close. "Let's go have some fucking fun. See those girls over there? I'm totally gonna _glide_ in there among them and –" He was already gone, showing off his entire set of sharp teeth as he approached them.

Sakura was giggling constantly as she sipped on a drink. The man beside her complimented her continuously, and she blushed and took another sip of it.

Ino's loud, bragging voice was clearly heard through the chaos. She had managed to catch some unlucky guy who was stuck with her for the entire night. All her friends knew she'd take him somewhere – probably just the restroom – and go down on him. Naruto was already about to be thrown out by the guards as he was screaming and making a fuss all over the place. Sasuke was still standing awkwardly still, not really sure whether he should do this or not.

"Hey, you…" An obviously drunk girl approached him and smiled creepily. Her glasses had almost fallen off her face, and her red hair pointed in all directions. Sasuke turned his back to her, but she latched onto his arm and started mumbling inaudibly.

"What- what's your name," she then spluttered, followed by random hiccups. Sasuke tried to shake her off. "Leave me alone!" His raised voice seemed to attract the attention of several people, among them an older man who seemed to be in his thirties.

"Is there a problem here?" he asked silkily, watching Sasuke attentively. There were so many people around, dancing and talking, that he had to lean very close in order to talk.

The raven took a step away from the girl who was now lying on the floor, looking overly blissful and completely lost in her own world. "I'm fine."

"You look pale. Here, take this." The man smiled gently as he handed him a big glass of ice-cold beer. Sasuke thought of how much Itachi would disapprove for a moment before he pushed it aside and started gulping down the liquid. He tried really hard not to grimace.

It felt so good to be acting out like this, completely free of all rules. He had never drank alcohol before, but he had to admit that the sensation was nice. Before he could stop himself, he had emptied the entire glass.

The stranger smiled. "You seem to be really thirsty. Let me buy you another."

"I have money –"

"No worries, I know the people here, so I'll get it for free. Are you new here?" The man gently took a hold of his wrist and dragged him across the dance floor. Sasuke wasn't really aware of what he was doing, so he simply followed the elder man. He seemed so secure, reminding him of his big brother. Before he knew it, he had been presented another glass of beer. It was so cold that the condensation was running off the edges. It looked simply irresistible.

He was really thirsty by now, and his head was aching because of the loud music and the spotlights that flickered in all possible colors. Maybe the beer would keep it at bay. The man watched him as he emptied his second glass. Or wait, was it his third?

"Enjoying your night?" he smiled.

Sasuke nodded, swallowing eagerly. "Who are you?"

"I can be anything you want me to be," the man mumbled mischievously.

"Hey Sasuke, get your ass out here!" Kiba rushed past him.

No longer held back by anything, Sasuke moved to the dance floor. It felt really good moving his body like this. He didn't have to think about his upper class image anymore, nor his strict parents who wanted him to study hard and work his entire life away. What was a good wage worth, when he could be here, having fun all night? He had never known that privilege could be so… _boring_.

He wanted to lose himself completely. His heart was beating along with the music and he loved it. A big group of girls were surrounding him, trying to get close. The man who offered him the drinks kept himself in the background, but Sasuke didn't care. He was free to go with the flow, as the alcohol made his entire body heat up.

His friends were right – he hadn't lived until this night. He felt so light-headed, worry-free, and perfectly fine. For every drink he gulped down, he felt better and better. He could be himself, or anyone else he wanted to be, and no one was judging him. Screw his family, screw his duties, this was life!

But the utopia didn't last forever. Nausea had been increasing gradually and suddenly, he found himself clutching his stomach, unable to stand up straight.

There were people all around him, and he no longer knew where his friends had gone. His head was pounding and the loud music was overwhelming. Somewhere far away, he heard the man from before coming to his rescue, asking him if he needed help to go outside. Sasuke heard himself agree, too focused on the spinning feeling in his head.

The cold night air made him feel a little bit better and had a cooling effect on his hot face. He wasn't able to see straight anymore. He somehow registered Naruto's form crouched in a bush, vomiting.

The redhead from before was sitting on the pavement outside the bar, talking to herself loudly. She screamed something provocative at a car driving by and smashed a bottle of wine on the asphalt.

Sasuke didn't feel good at all by now. The dizziness was almost overwhelming. The sounds from cars passing by sounded muffled, and his body felt slow and unresponsive. The agony and self-hatred started creeping in on him. He wanted to call his brother, but his hands were trembling and couldn't open the zipper in his jacket.

Suddenly, he felt a hand reaching at the front of his pants, grasping tightly. The man from before was still there, trying to get a hold of him and drag him away into the dark streets. He was strong, and he had an advantage - he had kept himself completely sober throughout the entire night. It would be easy for him to overpower a dead-drunk teenager.  
Or so he thought.

Sasuke had absolutely no control of himself, acting purely by instinct. His arm snatched up, and despite his dulled sense of direction, he started delivering hard blows towards what he guessed was the man's head. He saw him stumbling backwards in shock, but Sasuke kept on kicking him violently with as much force as he could possibly muster.

.

Suigetsu wouldn't say that he was drunk. Just a little tipsy. It wasn't _his_ fault that he got thrown out for "sexual harassment" – or at least he couldn't remember what he had done, but he had a feeling it wasn't something funny. The burn on his cheek told him that girl must have slapped him. Hard.

His first instinct when he got outside was to run the fuck away, but the tall, strong cop grabbed him tightly by the arm.

"I haven't done anything! Man, I swear, I was just –"

"Do you know him?" The policeman interrupted and pointed at Sasuke. Said teenager was lying on his side on the pavement, mumbling something incoherent.

"Shit! Sasuke, are you okay man?" Suigetsu rushed over, trying to shake life into his friend. Sasuke refused to meet his gaze and kept on mumbling to himself.

"Damn… he's drugged! Do you hear me Sasuke? Did you take Ecstasy? Mushrooms? _Answer me!_ "

"N…'m fine…"

"You idiot! How much did you drink?"

"I was going to arrest him for assault," the policeman explained. "However, in his current condition, I will have to take him to a place where he'll be sobering up before I take him into custody."

Oh fuck. "… No, you can't do that! This dude's brother is a lawyer!"

Suigetsu felt dread in every cell of his body. Itachi Uchiha was going to _kill_ _him_ and feed his remains to the birds on the streets.

"Sorry, but one's profession doesn't make any difference –" the cop snapped impatiently but was interrupted by a dark, heavily restrained voice.

Yeah. It was definitely over.

"I'll take over from here."

Gulping hard, Suigetsu slowly turned around. He had hoped this was a hallucination – after all, he had consumed various unknown substances during the last few hours. But he recognized those heavy boots and that black jacket. He recognized the SUV parked in the background, and the way the intruder's long hair was hanging loosely around his pale, cold face. He recognized those eyes, colder than death itself, glaring down at him.

The police turned around as well. "And you are?"

The tall, intimidating man otherwise known as Sasuke's brother flipped his ID card in the cop's face before approaching Suigetsu and Sasuke. Another person hurried behind him, looking much more worried.

"Shisui Uchiha, working at the local police department," he heard him say.

Suigetsu instinctively backed off, silently praying for mercy. However, Itachi paid him no mind and lifted Sasuke up in his arms, carrying him to his car. Shisui scanned the area quickly with his Sharingan. He flinched when Itachi's impatient voice called him back to the car.

Sasuke temporarily regained his senses a bit and realized he was laying the backseat of a car. His first instinct was to sit up, but his head was still spinning awfully. The dark windows made it almost impossible to look outside, and he started panicking. He had really fucked up tonight.

However, he soon recognized the expensive black leather and the familiar smell of the vehicle and calmed down a bit.

"S-sorry Nii…san," he spluttered as he tried to sit up. He was rewarded with a dark glare in the rear-view mirror.

Sasuke struggled to get his tongue to form the words. "I… actually… I was doing… just… fine."

"If I hadn't come, no one knows what would have happened. You're more foolish than I thought." A low growl escaped the elder's lips.

"I… told you! Every…thing's… fine…"

His head hit the leather seat, and he was spared from the horrible headache.

.

.

The world slowly returned, all his senses becoming much clearer. When he slowly opened his eyes, he realized that he was staring up at the ceiling of their bedroom. His body felt heavier than usual, but it still felt much better than yesterday.

Sasuke sat up in the bed, rubbing his forehead. Someone had dressed him up in much more comfortable clothes, and on the nightstand, someone had placed a glass of water and painkillers.

This wasn't how he had imagined his first hangover to be. He wasn't really sure what happened last night, except that someone had accompanied him in the club. Everything was so confusing.

Next, he was hit with the realization of what was awaiting him. He bit his lip, knowing he had a whole lot to deal with now. He picked up his phone to buy some time. He had seven missed calls from Itachi from last night, and five worried text messages. Sasuke was hit by a pang of guilt in his chest. His brother must have worried himself sick.

He rolled his eyes at the one Suigetsu sent: " _hey, did you die? btw, what had you taken? do you have some left? I could need some of that._ _t_ _hanks dude_ "

He threw his phone to the far end of the bed. In the same moment, Itachi opened the bedroom door and entered the room. To Sasuke's relief, he didn't look furious, but not very happy either.

His facial expression was simply disappointed. That was much worse than fury. Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat. "Nii-san, I can explain. I really didn't mean to, I thought -"

"What you did was extremely reckless," the elder cut off him sharply. "You have no idea what could have happened."

"I told you. I had everything under control."

"No, you didn't. You just don't get it, do you? You could've been drugged, raped, kidnapped, even murdered." Itachi approached him, his eyes glowing with concealed worry and anger. "You didn't even tell me where you were going."

"Because you would've stopped me."

"True. But I sincerely hope you've learned your lesson now, Sasuke. I thought I had told you what alcohol does to people." Itachi shook his head, still looking very disappointed. "There are predators everywhere."

The younger boy stared at the floor. He hated letting Itachi down. "I'm sorry… I didn't intend for it to end like this, I just needed to get out of here. I've missed you a lot."

Itachi lifted his chin gently, looking into his eyes. "Otouto. I just need you to understand what dangers there are out there. Nothing is worth losing you."

"But –"

"Hush." Itachi pressed their lips together, and Sasuke closed his eyes in satisfaction.

The elder's voice was quiet. "This was the worst night of my life. I have never been so scared before. If I were to lose you, I don't know what I would do. I can't imagine living in a world where there's no you."

He sighed deeply, gently tracing his fingers across his brother's cheek. "Furthermore, there is still a killer out there. He could be anywhere."

Sasuke remembered. "Wait – what happened to that guy I beat up?"

His brother's eyes narrowed. "While you slept, I took care of some things. I got him arrested for assault and underage molestation. You're free, Otouto."

Sasuke snorted. "At least, now I know better than to talk to some fucking creep."

"You better," Itachi mumbled before his lips attacked the younger's, molding and pushing them together. Sasuke soon felt another sensation that made his mind reel. Their lips collided over and over again and Itachi's tongue gently explored his mouth.

"Nii-san…" Sasuke's breath hitched. As the elder's hands lifted his shirt and slid along his smooth torso, he felt his heart race. The elder's mouth wouldn't leave his lips for a moment, kissing him with such passion and lust he slowly slipped into a state of bliss. Itachi's hands were all over his body, stroking and touching.

"Fuck…" They collapsed onto the bed in a hot mess. Sasuke struggled to get a firm grip around his brother's waist, but Itachi was far too strong for him, easily pinning him down. He repeatedly tried to get up, but Itachi held him down as he continued kissing him.

"Ngn, Nii-san… fuck."

Itachi smirked against his throat. He didn't need to say anything, knowing he had Sasuke wrapped around his little finger no matter what. The way he teased him was enough to make the younger boy mad with passion and lust, determined to have him. Itachi raised his head to look into his little brother's eyes, rocking their hips together gently.

Sasuke knew he couldn't control himself when Itachi was looking at him like that – desire, possessiveness and love mixed together, and it drove him crazy. His back arched with impatience, feeling a tingling sensation at the bottom of his stomach. He reached up to wrap his arms around the elder's neck and bring him down for another mind-blowing kiss.

Sasuke was a mess - panting hard, sweat glistening on his face, and his unruly hair was all over the place. Nevertheless, he was the most beautiful sight in Itachi's world. And he loved the fact that only he could make him like this.

He licked Sasuke's neck lovingly, before gently letting his teeth touch that beautiful skin and sucking hard, making sure not to hurt him.

"Stay," Sasuke moaned, still caught up in his lust. Itachi chuckled gently and rolled off him, spreading out his body on the sheets. "Come and get me, Otouto."

Sasuke didn't waste another moment before he straddled the elder and forcefully rocked them together. Being able to dominate such a strong man like Itachi was turning him on like nothing else.

But the clothes between them were annoying. "Are you gonna take me or are you gonna fall asleep down there?" he teased, smirking playfully at the elder.

Suddenly Itachi flipped them over again, pressing Sasuke's body down forcefully with his entire weight.

"Tell me, Sasuke," he mumbled as his slender fingers started unbuttoning and unzipping their clothes, "would you rather spend your night with a stranger?"

As Sasuke struggled to get out of his annoying clothes, he shook his head. The relief when all fabric between them was gone was overwhelming. But Itachi wouldn't let him move. As the elder slowly reached for the lube in the nightstand drawer, he continued slowly: "Would you rather someone else undressed you like this?"

"Ngh, just grab the fucking lube already –"

Itachi rolled his eyes as he poured a generous amount on his fingers. His brother was not the one to take things slow.

The younger boy grimaced when he felt the cold touching his most intimate entrance. Itachi smirked as he leaned over him, letting two digits slide in gently. As he started stretching him, he mumbled hotly: "Would you rather someone else touch you like this, someone you didn't even know? Someone –"

Sasuke felt like he was going to explode. He was so turned on he couldn't stand it. A shiver went through his whole body as he felt every word Itachi uttered go straight to his dick. "Just… do it now." He breathed heavily.

Itachi added another finger and increased his motions. Sasuke rocked his hips and clenched around his fingers angrily.

"So…hot." The elder's breath hitched. Sasuke made him want to fuck the life out of that body. He couldn't wait until he got to feel him around himself, _oh_ so tight and warm, addictive and soft. His favorite place to be.

He positioned himself at his entrance, watching Sasuke almost reduced to begging by now.

"Just go ahead and fuck me already."

Itachi buried his face in that lovely neck as he thrust himself in roughly. Sasuke let out a loud groan, completely lost in sensations. The elder let a low, guttural moan escape his lips as he felt that velvet channel gripping him tightly, making it almost impossible to move.

"Would you rather someone else taking you like this?" he mumbled possessively.

Sasuke responded with a groan. "Never." Itachi growled hotly in his ear before he started moving for real. His brother's body was addictive, so smooth and hot and clenching around his aching member perfectly. As he repeatedly pulled back and seated himself in that warmth, several grunts escaped him.

The younger boy was completely lost, just holding onto the elder's body tightly and wrapping his legs around his waist to give him more space. Every thrust towards his core was making curses and pants spill out of him.

The entire bed rocked with their movements, and Itachi clenched his teeth together and started fucking him even harder.

"Tell me who you belong to, Otouto," he managed to pant. His hips slammed mercilessly, just the way Sasuke wanted it, bringing him as much pleasure as he possibly could. Sasuke's mouth fell open in response. "Ah… ah, ah… you..."

Itachi caught their lips together in a deep kiss as he kept slamming into him, the sound of their skin slapping together filling the room. Now and then Sasuke would clench around him, making him grunt in return. He tried to find that spot deep inside of him, and when the younger's body suddenly arched in a beautiful angle, he was sure he had found it.  
"Come on, Otouto…"

It didn't take much more for Sasuke to see stars. His brother worked his body so perfectly, rocking him with every thrust. He moaned and loved hearing Itachi's low groans in return. He felt so hot and hard inside of him, Sasuke absolutely loved it.

Itachi felt the pleasure in his groin starting to grow stronger and he drove into Sasuke deeper, determined to make his mind go blank. The younger boy felt himself clutch Itachi's body tightly as he came all over them, shouting out his release.

The elder found himself smirking into the crook of his brother's neck, until suddenly the younger started contracting around him, becoming so impossibly tight that Itachi felt his stomach make a violent lurch. His member was massaged by pure molten heat, and it was impossible to do anything else other than a couple of short, fast thrusts. He groaned into Sasuke's ear as he felt himself spurt his essence deep inside of him, filling him up to the brim. His face contorted in pure delight, and he felt Sasuke pant in the aftermath of the most incredible lovemaking they had had in weeks.

Itachi slowly pulled out and wrapped his arms protectively around the younger, pressing their chests together. Sasuke sighed contently as his entire body relaxed. He loved letting Itachi do such things to him, making his entire body go lax.

Sasuke slowly let his fingers run across the large scar that ran from Itachi's shoulder down past his collarbone and across his heart. Itachi had never told him how he got it; he had had it for as long as Sasuke could remember.

"I'll try not to be reckless again…" But in secret he had to admit, his brother's reaction had been quite… pleasurable.

To his surprise, Itachi suddenly grabbed his hand and kept it there over his scar. Sasuke looked up at him in sudden confusion. The elder gave him a gentle smile and kissed his forehead.

"I know you will be fine." He sighed gently. "After all, you're an Uchiha."

Sasuke frowned slightly. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." The elder nuzzled his neck, placing soft kisses on his throat.

"You sure?" Sasuke traced the scar again. He had always thought it was quite beautiful – it was a part of his beloved brother. The elder looked into his eyes, locking their gazes. Those pitch black orbs filled him with a sense of security and comfort.

"You are stronger than you know, Otouto." He wrapped his arms around the younger male and kissed him. Sasuke relaxed again and closed his eyes, a small smile on his lips.

Itachi watched him fall asleep, holding him tight. His voice was only a soft whisper. "You'll soon see what I mean."

* * *

**Please review. It means a lot to me.~**


	3. Awakening

The thick silence was disturbed by a sudden, rough scream.

The small room was dull, only lit by wax candles. The shadows of the lights danced across the dirty stone walls and the muddy floor, flowing into each other. In the open stove, the last remaining pieces of burning wood took their last breath and gave in, leaving a cold feeling behind. The scent in the air was heavy, filled with anxiety and filth. Long nails carved at a face in desperation.

"Nii-san…" A weak voice called out. His body thrashed around, caught in seizures.

The other voice was much darker, commanding. "Otouto… be silent."

Strong, scarred hands moved across the body lying on the hard wooden bed. They collected the long, spiky hair in a ponytail and poured cold water onto the face. The man lying down stilled slowly. "It feels… cold."

"Did you have hallucinations again?"

"I'm so weak… I don't know what I'm going to do…" the man whimpered in anxiety. "They are everywhere, surrounding me, clouding my sight." His hands clawed at his face again, as if he was trying to rip off his own skin. "I can't stand it, Nii-san…"

"Hush." The older man moved to the roughly carved out wooden table beside the bed. The wood was stained with dried blood, but it was nothing compared to the attic and second floor. Still, this abandoned sawmill was much better than the previous places they had hid in. The sewers, filled with rats and dumped bodies, were definitely worse. They were lucky to find this place, hidden far away in the woods.

As long as they were safe, nothing else mattered.

Madara's thick, long flowing hair reached down to the floor. It had become impossible to brush, growing like a fierce mane down his back. His long cloak was covering his body entirely. He started preparing his brother's medicine on the table, mixing dirty, yellow water in an old, reused medicine bottle. There was no fresh water around, but that didn't really matter– they had learned to cope with bacteria. At least they didn't have to feed on rats anymore.

Izuna started thrashing around again, calling out for help. Madara stilled him with his hand. His constitution was much stronger than the younger's. Carrying his brother around and defending them from threats had left him very muscular.

Madara knew that the medicine would only temporarily stop his brother's seizures. His body was becoming more resistant; he needed a bigger dose each time to calm down for a few hours. Of course, he had had to improvise – neither of them had ever been to a doctor. Not only because it was potentially life-threatening, but because no one could understand them.

Poison was the only way to make Izuna's body calm down. An utterly small dose of course, but enough to kill a small child. Madara had been down in the basements of abandoned houses, extracting the poison from dead rats and foxes.

Seventeen years on the run had left him like this, unable to fully carry out his revenge. But soon… he would be able to focus on his real goal.

He covered his brother's eyes with a wet towel, stopping him from removing it. Izuna refused to take any medicine, so it had to be done this way.

Madara took the bottle and poured its contents into his mouth, without swallowing. He then leaned down and forcefully kissed the younger man, feeding him the dirty liquid. It gushed out between their lips and Izuna started to instinctively thrash around again, but the elder held his face still with an iron grip. He didn't pull back until Izuna had swallowed everything.

"Good, Otouto…" he mumbled darkly, removing the towel from his brother's eyes. He stroked his forehead gently with rough fingers.

"Nii-san… There is no use. I'm going to die either way…"

"You know I won't let you die. I swear on my life, Otouto. We have survived this long. And as long as I am here, you are safe." He easily lifted the smaller body in his arms and carried him to another room, where the walls were still painted with blood. He placed his younger brother on the saw bench. When Izuna whimpered, he kissed him softly on the lips.

Madara turned towards his knives – he had one for every use. One big enough to cut off an arm or a leg, and several smaller ones for various other needs. The former occupant of this house had left him a great present, he thought darkly. The man had gone insane and murdered his family, so they kept themselves on the first floor where the smell wasn't as strong.

"Nii-san, I can't take this anymore…"

"Hush." Madara's voice was rough and dark. "I know what's causing your hallucinations, and there is only one way to get rid of them."

He picked up one of the smaller knives, still stained with fresh blood.

"Hold still, Otouto. When you awaken, you are going to feel much better."

.

.

Shisui couldn't believe his eyes. Sure, he didn't have much faith in media nowadays, but this was outrageous. He felt cold spreading throughout his entire body.

This was bad. Really bad.

He looked over at Itachi, who was clearly alarmed. He tried to hide it, but his older cousin saw the distress in his eyes. They had just been betrayed.

The front page of the popular daily newspaper had never been this frightening before. Large, black letters stared angrily back at them: "Famous Uchiha lawyer takes on the Sharingan case"

Shisui tried to breathe deeply to calm himself. There was no need to panic; maybe no harm had been done just yet. It was still early in the morning. But the look on his cousin's face told him otherwise. Itachi's face was even paler than usual, seemingly lifeless. He had frozen completely, resembling a flawless wax doll.

Itachi knew that their jobs had suddenly become ten times more dangerous. The threat was now directly against them, and they were still lost in the dark. It took several minutes of ice-cold silence before he bothered to move his lips.

"Whoever wrote this – get them fired."

Shisui didn't hesitate; he had already grabbed his phone and went out into the hallway.

Itachi pushed the newspaper across the table with a taste of disgust in his mouth. It was as if everything was working against them, trying to trap them into a dead end.

From outside the kitchen, he could hear Shisui's upset voice: "What do you mean there's no harm done? May I inform you that this paper reaches roughly two million people every day? It's not like Itachi Uchiha isn't well-known – he is famous! And considering the fact the killings have been happening only in this area, how likely is it that the killer now knows exactly who he's up against? You could just as well have put up Itachi's address there, so the guy knows exactly where to find him!

What do you mean it doesn't have to be him? Didn't you make a big broadcast when Fugaku Uchiha moved to the U.S., despite us telling you not to do that? You've just put the entire remaining family at risk! No, I can't speak for Itachi, but if he decides to sue you, I know of an entire office that will be empty next week!"

He hung up angrily. "Damn idiots! Have any of them even learned the basics of journalism ethics?" he muttered.

He entered the kitchen again. He stayed over at Itachi and Sasuke's place so often, it had become a second home for him, although his own apartment wasn't far from here.

"We can't allow ourselves to lose track because of this. What's done is done." Itachi was focused, like usual, stirring his black coffee.

Shisui sat down in front of him with a deep sigh. "You're right. But it feels like we've hit the wall." He stared at his laptop's screen in hopelessness. His boss had been right – he truly needed help. He couldn't compare to his father, Kagami, no matter what he did. He had a way of noticing almost invisible details, hidden to even the most trained policeman's eye.

Itachi shook his head. "Although the media naming this case after the Sharingan sickens me, I must admit they've got a point. Whoever's committing these crimes is either involved with the Uchihas or wants to be. I'm not a psychiatrist, but it's not hard making a profile of the killer. The way the murders were carried out… suggests someone who has a terrible temper, acting out of pure rage. Also… someone who has probably been through something truly repulsive and wants revenge. Despite it all, they're still very intelligent."

He gritted his teeth. "But sooner or later they'll make a mistake, and that's when we will strike."

Shisui nodded. "We've studied every piece of the crime scenes very closely…" He shuddered when he remembered the second crime – it had been just as sickening as the first one.

It had happened rather close to where they lived - only two neighbourhoods away. Again, the victim was found at the end of an alleyway. It was a young man this time. He hadn't bled as much as the woman, but it was obvious that he had gone through a different kind of torture. His torso had been cut up, and the first thing the crime technicians had noticed was that someone – or something – had torn out his heart, veins and all, leaving a gaping hole in his chest. It was so messy and violently done, it could hardly have been done with any instruments. Furthermore, the ripped skin that surrounded the hole was red and seemed to have marks left by fingers.

Something had been burned, leaving a sooty mark behind in the form of a big circle. The victim was placed in the middle. The smoky mark was painted like a Sharingan. The young man was still dressed in a hoodie and jogging pants, although someone had bothered to pull down the zipper of the jacket before tearing out the heart.

There was no evidence leading to the killer whatsoever. Absolutely nothing. Only a word scribbled with what had probably been a cigarette: Payback.

The victim had been identified as a perfectly ordinary member of society – no involvement with drugs, gang culture, no criminal record and no enemies. His girlfriend had arrived at the place only twenty minutes after police arrived. Shisui felt bad when he thought about it – it had taken hours to calm her down; she was absolutely devastated. They had recently gotten engaged.

"I don't think that whoever is doing this is normal," Itachi spoke up as he took another sip of his coffee.

"Say what? Normal my ass! This guy is a full-blown psycho! Probably hates women too!"

"That's not what I meant," his cousin answered dryly. "I am afraid… this thing has an advantage that your ordinary killer wouldn't have. Tell me, Shisui, have you ever encountered a human being who can tear someone's heart out of their ribcage, without using any instruments?"

The older man paled. He stumbled backwards, his back hitting the sink. "Wait… it can't be."

"I am afraid so. Possessing the strength to overpower a strong, young man and break every bone in his body… it's not what would be called normal, don't you think?"

Itachi's eyes glowed bright red, showing his cousin exactly what he meant. Shisui felt his legs weaken as he watched the younger man's eyes. Itachi parted his lips, showing his set of perfectly sharp teeth.

"What the killer doesn't know, is that I have the exact same advantage," he chuckled.

…..

Sasuke groaned and buried his head even deeper into the pillow. It was so warm and soft down here, he wanted to sleep forever. He closed his eyes tightly and focused on the feeling of pure warmth and comfort. It felt wonderful. As he rolled around with the blanket, ending up like a burrito, he realized that Itachi's side of the bed was unusually cold – he must have woken up hours ago.

Sasuke shrugged; he didn't have to worry about that. It was only… Monday.

Shit.

Suddenly stressed, he tried to get out of the blanket but ended up falling to the floor with a loud thud. Damn thing. It was suddenly very cumbersome, too hot and heavy. He threw it off him and stumbled to his feet. As he hurriedly tried to find his clothes, he threw a glance at the clock on the nightstand. Why didn't Itachi wake him up? He was already an hour late for class.

"Fuck it." He stumbled to the kitchen, still in the process of putting on a t-shirt and pants. "I'm late!" he announced loudly, still annoyed with himself as well as his brother for not waking him up in time.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Shisui roll his eyes. "Forgot to turn on your alarm again, Sasuke?

The younger boy ignored him and grabbed his bag as he threw on his shoes. A sharp voice stopped him.

"Breakfast, Otouto."

"Can't, I'm really late. Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Sasuke, your brother is working on a serial killer case. Give him a break."

"I wasn't talking to you! What are you even doing here?"

"Hey now. Don't fight." Itachi approached him and gently put his hands on either side of his little brother's face. "I'm sorry. I had some urgent things to take care of. Do you want me to leave a note for your teacher? You'll be excused."

"It's okay." Honestly, he didn't mind the extra sleeping time.

Itachi placed a gentle kiss on Sasuke's forehead. "You need to eat breakfast."

"I'll buy something on the way, okay? Can I leave now?" The younger looked into his eyes, feeling his cheeks turn slightly warm beneath his brother's hands.

"Just give me a moment." Itachi smiled and kissed his nose and lips tenderly, ignoring the younger's pout.

His little brother was the light of his world, the only one who made him feel true happiness. Sasuke was so beautiful; Itachi couldn't fathom how he had been blessed with having him in his life. No matter what, he would always protect him.

Sasuke felt his cheeks heat up even more. "Nii-san…"

"Now, off you go. Be careful, Otouto."

.

.

When Sasuke came home, it was late in the afternoon and he was exhausted.

Fed up with his habit of always being late, his teacher had given him detention and double homework. _Your brother can excuse you all he wants, but he can't change the rules of this school. Since his monthly income is the same as what I earn in a year, he should be able to afford buying you an alarm clock, right?_ she had said sarcastically.

Sasuke had to bite his tongue in order not to reply: _I have more alarm clocks than I can possibly need, but it doesn't change the fact that I get to screw him, not you._

If he hadn't controlled himself, he knew he would have gotten in a lot of trouble and Itachi would, to say the least, not be pleased with him. Moreover, he couldn't blame Itachi for not letting him rush off straight away, could he? He seriously doubted that dealing with an overprotective big brother counted as a legitimate absence.

Needless to say, his teacher wasn't a big fan of him. She wondered what that confident, bratty upper-class boy had to do with this school. Most of her students came from low-income families, and then there was him, acting as if he was better than everyone else. Yet he had a lot of friends, and he was really popular with the girls.

What she didn't know, however, was that Sasuke had realized he didn't want to spend his high school years in a miniature university where none of his friends were going. He wanted fun; he wanted to hang out with his best friends, and he wanted to have some free time left. And someone had to stop Naruto and Suigetsu from doing stupid things, like putting the entire school on fire.

Sasuke kicked his shoes off by the door. He had missed Itachi terribly during the day. The elder was always busy, always working his ass off. Luckily, he wasn't in court today; instead he was home, working on the case. Unfortunately, Shisui was there too.

They had moved to the living room, sitting with their laptops in front of them and talking. Sasuke felt like running up and jumping on his brother but refrained. Instead, he snuggled up on the couch beside Itachi and hugged him tightly.

He knew he behaved like a brat; Shisui and his teachers were right. He knew he was a hell of a lot to deal with sometimes. But still, Itachi never got tired of him. He was so patient, so kind and understanding. Sasuke felt his heart swell when he looked at that beautiful face.

"Hello, Otouto," Itachi greeted him with a small smile. Not wanting to distract him with a proper cuddling, Sasuke laid down on the couch with his head on his brother's lap.

He buried his face against Itachi's shirt and breathed in the warm, comforting scent of him. He soon felt a slender hand stroking his face slowly, making his entire body relax. Itachi's fingers gently ran through his hair and caressed his forehead and eyelids.

Sasuke closed his eyes and felt himself getting sleepy. Their voices became unclear, and he only registered a few words. He heard them talking about the murderer… something about payback… but his brother's fingers successfully made him drift off to sleep.

.

.

Sasuke woke up, slightly disoriented, in a dark room. It took him some seconds to realize that he had been placed in the double bed. His body felt so heavy, and he blinked a couple of times to clear the fog in his mind.

After a little while, he realized what had disturbed his sleep – low voices on the other side of the wall.

"… I'm not sure what I'm going to do."

A low, concerned voice: "Itachi, what's going on?" That damn Shisui. Sasuke was getting more and more annoyed with him – lately, he hadn't been giving them any privacy at all.

"I received a letter from Father," came the quiet reply. "He has requested me and Sasuke to visit them."

"That's impossible; we have no time to leave now with this current case. We have to solve this here. The victims' families are counting on us."

A deep sigh was heard. Sasuke sat up in the bed, listening closely.

"Our parents really want to see Sasuke – it's been almost a year. Father can't leave either, so the only option left would be to send Sasuke to see them. Preferably, also have him stay with them for a while. I admit I've thought about it."

Sasuke's hands clenched into fists, and his heart was all the way up in his throat. They could just forget it. He was not leaving Itachi alone. Not a chance. If the murderer were to strike again… no, no way in hell was he letting him take that risk.

His entire body felt like it was slowly heating up, but he didn't care.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? It's another continent after all." Shisui sounded doubtful.

"It's much safer for him to stay away from me right now. There are too many threats here, right outside the door. Until the guilty one is behind bars, he isn't safe. The danger could be anywhere."

"But even letting him go on a flight is a risk."

"I am fully aware of that, Shisui. But the risk of having him in my presence is even higher, especially after today. If the killer were to capture Sasuke, I would be completely under his control."

The younger Uchiha was getting furious. The weird, warm feeling in his body was slowly getting worse.

"When do you plan to let him leave?" Shisui seemed not to mind; as usual, he always accepted his cousin's decisions.

"Probably next –"

Sasuke abruptly left his bed, flung his bedroom door open and crashed into the next room in a more than brutal manner.

Both the older men looked up in surprise at the sight of his messy self, standing in the doorway in his wrinkled clothes, hair all over the place, flushed cheeks and his eyes burning with emotion.

"Just forget it," he growled. "I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Otouto –" Itachi began in a convincing tone. Something new was visible on his face when he looked at him, an expression Sasuke had never seen before. It was fear.

"Sasuke, calm down," Shisui warned.

"Don't tell me what to do," Sasuke hissed at him, suddenly feeling an uncontrollable rage rising up within him, an irrational, exaggerated fury. The heat in his body reached its end point. His vision turned red, no longer able to contain the violent tsunami of emotions crashing together inside of him.

_It's your turn now._

_You've been asleep for too long – open your eyes._

_You're the last one._

The two men in front of him suddenly looked shocked.

Itachi abruptly stood up. "Sasuke, look at me," he ordered. For the first time he could remember, Itachi sounded scared.

But it was too late. All Sasuke could hear was the voice inside him, and he let himself go. A violent growl escaped his lips, and in the mirror he could see two bright red, Sharingan-less eyes staring back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are really heating up now, aren't they?  
> Fun fact: the sawmill Madara and Izuna stays in is based on an old northwestern Italian legend about a lumberjack who killed his entire family. It's also a reference to a video game with the same theme.
> 
> Remember, reviews help me update faster and are my best motivation! :3


	4. No Matter What

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized I forgot to warn you, but this story is pretty hardcore in every sense of the word. On the other hand, you might have figured out this by now. I won't keep you in the dark for long.
> 
> Much love to my beta May!

_Feel the hate, feel the anger, of how everyone did you wrong. You didn't choose this._  
_Let it out, you don't have to care._  
 _Let go of your inner self – the monster you've been hiding inside._

Sasuke did not have any control left in his body – it was acting entirely on its own. His mind was flowing freely and his vision going crimson red. He saw the two men in front of him get to their feet quickly, but their figures were blurry.

"Otouto…"

Even _he_ , who used to matter, was nothing now. His words didn't mean anything anymore. Sasuke took a step back, feeling the power swell in his muscles and he could hardly stand up straight. He had never felt so strong before, but at the same time so extremely vulnerable.

No, everything around him had become vulnerable.

He was the threat here.

A metallic taste filled his mouth, which he soon realized was blood. He reached out for the wall for support, but through his hazy vision, he saw his hand going straight through it, leaving a gaping hole. He clawed at the wallpaper, making long cuts into it.

The fear was so overwhelming, he could hardly breathe. The room was caving in around him, strange figures hovering at the edges of his sight. His lungs felt smaller; it was getting harder to take in oxygen. The strength in him grew every second; he could feel hot blood rush through his veins. The pounding in his head was drowning out every other sound. He didn't recognize himself anymore; he was starting to change, rapidly. He heard that faint growling sound coming out of him continuously.

He moved towards the mirror, seeing those cold blood-red eyes glaring back at him. He hated it. He reached out and angrily crushed his fist into it as hard as he possibly could. The pieces fell to the floor, and he stepped on them without thinking. The sharp pain in his feet made a vicious hissing sound leave his lips.

Faintly, he heard one of the weakling's alarmed voice: "Itachi, stay away."

Sasuke turned his wrath towards the one who spoke, approaching him like a furious animal. He took some powerful steps forward and raised his hand to crush him – to destroy that nuisance once and for all. Suddenly, the other male caught his attention.

Itachi had changed as well. His eyes flared like fresh blood, and he looked intimidating even for him. Sasuke's mind barely registered his change, before he felt himself growl violently. His own voice sounded so unfamiliar and it scared him. It was raspy and harsh:

"Move, or I will have to dispose of you too." He took a step forward without thinking.

"Sasuke, look at me." He stopped for a second, staring at the elder. His gaze was nailed on him when he felt something hit him hard. Itachi had him pinned against the wall with his entire weight, and Sasuke was completely unable to move. His own strength was nothing compared to the other man.

Suddenly he felt so helplessly weak, his arms and legs trembling violently.

He gasped for breath, suddenly struck by fear and panic. His hands unfolded and clenched over and over again, trying desperately to grasp onto the fabric of his brother's shirt. Painfully, the world slowed down; his lungs forcefully expanded and he gradually got calmer.

He tried to speak, but was unable to form any sound. The elder hushed him, still keeping their bodies pressed against each other. Sasuke's body eventually went limp; the fury left his body as quickly as it had appeared. Sasuke tried to regain his focus, but slowly his surroundings faded away.

. . .

"…and find him. He must know something."

It was Shisui's voice, sounding very distant, but slowly it got closer.

"No, I can't allow that. You don't know him."

Who were they talking about?

Sasuke opened his eyes, finding himself resting against his brother's chest. His head ached and his body felt strange, but Itachi's arms around him made him comfortable. They were sitting together in the living room.

 _What had happened?_ He looked down at his hands, seeing the knuckles on his left hand bandaged. Had he really… crushed a mirror? His nails looked completely fine. Had the claws been a hallucination? Had he dreamed everything? But the ache in his feet and hand told him otherwise.

Suddenly, the realization washed over him and he tensed up. Horrified, he looked up at his older brother.

The love that met him caught him off guard. The look in Itachi's eyes was just pure acceptance, affection and care. No trace of the fear or anger Sasuke had feared he would see. The elder bent down and gently let his lips touch the spot between his eyebrows, making Sasuke's stomach fill with butterflies.

Still, he found himself unable to speak. He took a deep breath and tried to understand what had happened, but his memory refused to cooperate. His hands trembled slightly as he placed them on his brother's shoulders, steadying himself as he looked into his eyes.

He took a breath, but Itachi wouldn't let him speak. He pressed their lips together and swallowed Sasuke's weak protests. He found himself closing his eyes and slowly melting into the kiss.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke," he mumbled when he finally allowed the younger to breathe again.

"What the hell are you apologizing for?"

"I should've stopped you earlier. I am truly sorry; I didn't think you'd lose control."

Sasuke shook his head. "Can someone please explain to me what the hell is going on?"

He pushed the elder away when he tried to kiss him again. "Itachi, you know something I don't. Tell me!" He turned around and glared at Shisui who was sitting on the opposite couch; feeling left out.

Itachi sighed. "I didn't think this day would come so soon." Still, he made no attempt to speak.

Sasuke stood up. He was too tired to experience that rage from before once again, but now he was getting frustrated. "Have I always been like this? Why haven't I ever noticed before?"

Shisui exchanged a doubtful look with Itachi. Sasuke snarled at them. "Whatever you two are talking about – don't think I won't find out sooner or later. You can't hide it."

"Look kiddo… this is hard to explain. It's late, you're tired and you probably won't believe us," Shisui began.

"I demand to know from _Nii-san_. You have nothing to do with this," Sasuke snapped at him. "What the fuck is going on? Am I schizo? Or has someone drugged me? Why did it seem like I… could see things and feel like I could do anything? I'm going crazy!"

"Calm down, Sasuke," Itachi ordered firmly. "Sit down." He gestured at the empty seat beside him on the couch. The entire situation completely unnerved Sasuke – it reminded him of when Fugaku was going to have "the talk" with him before moving away with their mother. Shisui quietly stood up and left the room, finally giving them some time alone.

Itachi's voice was absolute, a matter of fact. He looked into the eyes of his younger brother. "You have powers that are truly rare, even for someone of the Uchiha clan."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you're more special than me, even. You were born with a special condition. You haven't awakened fully until today – but everything you've seen and experienced is real. They're not hallucinations and you're not drugged. They're your abilities."

"But I couldn't control them! I could've killed both of you!"

Itachi sighed. "That's the… complicated part. I thought you'd be much older when you woke up, but it's as if something forced you to awaken them abruptly. It's very dangerous… but it gives you an advantage."

Sasuke stared down at his hands in his lap. His brother's voice seemed distant; everything felt unreal. This paranoia, these sudden fits of strength… he clutched his head. This was all real? This was the reason he had managed to get away from the rapist when he was so drunk that he couldn't even stand… The long, sharp black claws he had grown during his fit of rage… they were real, too? This wasn't a crazy world inside of his head? The hole he had punched into the wall was real. Suddenly, the big picture started to sink in.

He had never been more afraid in his entire life.

But the thing he feared wasn't something Itachi could protect or save him from.

It was living deep within himself.

He felt sick to the very pit of his stomach. He looked up at his brother, feeling his entire body tremble. "I can't be near you." His voice was a harsh whisper, forcefully pressed from his dry throat. He backed off suddenly, feeling himself panicking.

"Calm down," Itachi told him and stood up, approaching him carefully. "It won't ever go this far again; I'll make sure to stop you in time. I promise you, Otouto."

He reached out to touch him, but Sasuke slapped his hand away.

"Don't. Touch. Me." His Sharingan was flaring by pure instinct and he was like a trapped animal between the wall and his brother. "I don't know what I might do. How can you stop me? I'll kill you easily…"

Itachi ignored him and grabbed his wrist tightly. Sasuke tried to snatch it out of his grip, but the elder was stronger.

"Stay away from me. I don't want you to get hurt." The younger male's voice was broken, trembling in apprehension.

"Look at me, Otouto."

"Let me go!" Sasuke took a desperate step backwards but found himself pressed against the wall. He silently prayed that he would not lose control again – Itachi was _too close!_ The panic was taking over – _I'll do anything. Just don't make me hurt him._

Itachi suddenly embraced him tightly, pressing them both against the wall. Sasuke breathed in his brother's scent deeply and found himself leaning his forehead against Itachi's neck. "Get away… from me…"

But his entire body language was saying otherwise – his body was pressing itself against the elder, and his hands wrapped themselves around his waist tightly. He found himself snuggling into the elder, leaning on him completely for support.

Itachi lifted his chin gently so he could look into his eyes. "No matter what, Otouto, I'll be there for you. We're in this together. I won't let you down." His voice was soft, serious and trusting. The younger boy nodded, unable to speak. He didn't know how to express his feelings right now; there were no words to describe his love.

Itachi smiled gravely. "Don't worry. We'll handle this." He kissed him tenderly on the lips. Sasuke kissed him back, feeling his fear slowly melt away.

"I'm the same as you," the elder whispered when they had finished the kiss. Sasuke looked at him in confusion. "But you said that I was the only one? Are you also… like this?"

Itachi shook his head slightly. "It's a very long story, Otouto."

Sasuke gently created some distance between them. "What am I?"

The elder looked gravely at him. "A demon."

" _What?"_

"I am fairly sure you heard me the first time, Otouto."

"What is this nonsense?"

"You wanted the truth, so I answered."

"...This can't be! Stop joking around! Demons don't even exist; it's just an old folklore!" Sasuke was outraged. "This isn't possible! I refuse to take part in this madness any longer! It's all lies!"

Itachi was dead serious. "Sasuke, this is the absolute truth."

"No, I don't want to hear it!"

"But that's the way it is."

Sasuke breathed harshly. "Then I don't want to be a part of this family any longer!"

He rushed into his study angrily and shut the door. It was the room his parents had intended for him to have, but the bed had never been used since he always slept with Itachi in the master bedroom. Sasuke sank down onto the bed with his head in his hands. This was insane. If Shisui had said it, he would have taken it for a late April's joke. But Itachi would never joke about anything this serious – he hardly had any humor at all.

How had his life gone from completely normal to a chaotic mess in just one night? Sasuke was scared, freaked out, and angry. He didn't sign up for this. He hoped desperately that it was just a bad nightmare, but at the same time, he had never felt more awake before.

A gentle knock on the door disturbed him.

"Go away!"

"It's me. Can I come in?"

Without waiting for an answer, Shisui entered the room and closed the door securely behind him.

"Why are you even here?" Sasuke hissed at him through gritted teeth. "You never leave us alone! What are you, living here? It's _our_ house. Itachi's _my_ brother, not yours. Is it that hard to stay away?"

Not at all affected by the upset teenager, Shisui sat down opposite him.

"Let me make one thing clear, kiddo. I'm not trying to steal your brother away. I've known him since he was a baby, so we've always been close. I've watched him grow, and we've been working side by side for many years. Itachi is like a little brother to me" - Sasuke glared possessively at him - "but not in _that_ way _._ And hey – I've always known that since the moment you opened your eyes for the first time, his heart belonged to you. I'd take a bullet for him, but that's all there is to it, kiddo. Try to calm down a bit now, ey?" His voice was serious and his gaze honest.

Sasuke folded his arms over his chest, still glaring. "Could you at least give us _some_ privacy now and then?" he complained sourly. "Next time we have sex, you'll probably be standing beside the bed with your laptop, discussing autopsy reports or something."

The thought made him feel sad. Itachi already worked overtime; would they never have any time together anymore?

Shisui rolled his eyes violently. "Some people are actually turned on by blood and gore, did you know that? Just kidding," he quickly added when he saw the younger boy's murderous gaze. "Anyway, I don't need to be in the room. I can hear you two just fine through the wall."

"That's why I'm telling you, do you even have to be here?"

"I happen to have a job, and thus I have to do it," Shisui retorted firmly. "Look, you're my little cousin and I'm looking out for you as well. Some hospitality wouldn't hurt."

Sasuke sighed. For Itachi's sake, he could put up with it. Even if it meant that Shisui would eat every meal with them, sleep on their couch and occupy Itachi constantly.

"… Sorry. I just don't feel well."

"About that… I think I should explain some things to you, about this demon thing," the elder started.

"Did you know?" Sasuke interrupted. Interest sparked in his eyes, although he was still upset.

"Yes. I've known as long as Itachi has."

Sasuke's facial expression must have caused a reaction in the elder, because Shisui moved to sit beside him on the bed. He was calm and patient, something kind in his gaze. "Look kiddo, I know it's tough at your age. When I was seventeen… I was such an outcast. I'm not in possession of your powers, but I can imagine. This must feel very -"

"This is insane," the younger interrupted. "What am I, a _demon_?"

"Actually, you only possess some of their powers, not all." He scratched the back of his head and shrugged. "You're not getting the whole deal, kinda like a compromise."

Sasuke shook his head. "What about Itachi? Let me guess, he's a full-fledged demon with every possible power?"

Shisui raised his eyebrows, slightly amused. "No. Believe it or not, Sasuke, this time you're the special snowflake. Itachi is completely normal – well, he was born normal, just like me. You were the special one. But everything comes with a price."

Sasuke didn't know if he should feel relieved or even more upset. "What do you mean?"

The older man looked straight into his eyes. "If you want to understand, I gotta tell you about our family, kiddo. You probably don't know much. But the root of your abilities, this demon power, is in your blood, just like the Sharingan. You think that we are at the top of society because of sheer luck and privilege, but that's not the case. We had to fight to get there. Actually, no one fought quite like us. And that became our curse."

.

Itachi was left standing in the living room after Sasuke left. His chest ached; he felt such a terrible emptiness. _Otouto, please don't push me away. I want to be here for you_ _._

He refused to lose Sasuke because of this – something so unavoidable. But he had truly hoped that his little brother would remain peacefully oblivious to his heritage for another few years. But as Shisui had said when he entrusted him with his worries: S _omeday_ _,_ _the_ _kid's_ _gotta wake up. And if it happens now, at least he doesn't have to deal with a terrifying midlife crisis._

He had calmed down after Shisui had promised to talk to Sasuke. Shisui was good at dealing with people – as a cop, he had met countless upset, angry and emotional people, and he had learned to handle them well. He was the one in his squad who was always assigned to interrogate, question or simply calm people down when needed.

Itachi trusted his older cousin completely. Certainly, Sasuke was very stubborn when he wanted to be, but the only thing Itachi could do now was wait.

He decided to occupy his mind with other things meanwhile. He went to get the mail that none of them had bothered to pick up earlier. As he skimmed through it, his mind was on his little brother. He went back to the apartment, absentmindedly putting the bills and notifications on his desk. Suddenly, he froze.

At the very bottom of the pile was a small, dark red letter.

Itachi's Sharingan activated automatically. He felt every muscle in his body tense. He ripped it open, revealing a perfectly folded note. He already knew what it was. Or rather, who it was from. Cold chills ran down his spine.

His whereabouts had been revealed. There was no use in hiding.

He relaxed slightly when he found a bright yellow sticky note attached to the backside of the letter. It was written in his secretary's neat handwriting: " _Found this on your desk_ _._ _I thought it might be urgent_ _,_ _so I had it delivered home_." That woman was exceptional.

He sighed. His address was still safe, but apparently whoever sent it knew where he worked. He opened the note warily. It was a piece of lined paper from a notebook, ripped off perfectly. Red letters, perfect and symmetrical, said:

_Stay out of this case and no one you love has to die._

Itachi's hands tightened around the note until his knuckles turned white. He could hardly concentrate on the other sentence that was so oddly teasing.

_By the time you meet me in court to settle my execution, it will be too late._

_._

* * *

**A/N: You didn't expect that, did you? Well, this story is full of surprises. _  
_**

 


	5. Greed and Loss

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much love to my beta! Thanks for being so patient with me, you deserve an award for that. ^^

**Seventeen** **Y** **ears** **E** **arlier**

The woman was standing on the tall bridge, leaning on the fence. She looked down at the dark water swirling below. The wind had torn her long hair out of its updo, and it was flowing freely behind her. She hugged the bundle in her arms close to her chest. Her expensive silk kimono was blowing in the breeze, revealing her pale legs. The cold air was making her body tremble. Her heart was beating so hard.

The baby was fast asleep in her arms. She looked at his perfect little face, those pink eyelids and the spiky black hair surrounding his face. She curled a lock of his hair between her fingers, feeling him move his head slightly. Her voice was just a whisper, stolen away by the wind. "Sasuke… You are not a monster. How can you be?"

The baby looked so happy in his sleep. His chubby little hand was wrapped around her finger, holding her there. The cold air made her press him tighter to her chest again. Her long hair warmed them a bit, but it was not enough. He would get a cold if she didn't get him inside soon.

"They say you'll grow up… to become a monster. They say I'll hate you. How can I?" She closed her eyes; the pain was too heavy to face.

" _Mikoto. You have to be reasonable."  
_

" _No! It's my child! He's mine! I carried him, I gave birth to him! It's my decision!"  
_

" _Where natural selection failed… we have to step in."_

_"There's nothing wrong with him! He's perfectly healthy!"_

" _He is a monster. Not now, but soon he will be."_

" _Fugaku, say something!"_

" _Darling… I'm afraid we have no choice."_

She gritted her teeth, eyes angrily flaring red. If they made her dispose of her baby… she couldn't bear it. She refused to lose him. And Itachi… he had been so happy about his baby brother. It was all he ever talked about… It would crush his fragile heart.

She could escape, maybe. She could take her children and flee. She loved her husband, but if he wasn't going to back her up in this, too afraid of tainting his reputation, she would have no choice. But she had never worked a day in her life – she didn't know how to get by. She guessed she'd be able to work as a maid, although she had never cleaned or cooked in her life. Would it be a worthy life for her sons?

Silent tears ran down her cheeks. How many times had she thought she'd lose this child, every time she was crouched on the bathroom floor bleeding and cramping? How many times had she begged herself, _please, let me keep my baby. Just this once._

How she and Fugaku had mourned, every time she lost a child. How Itachi had grieved, his eyes growing colder and hollower every time he realized that she was no longer pregnant. It had been so hard – she had fought for Sasuke. She thought her body was going to reject him, and not until now had she realized why. The demonic power had been too strong; it prevented the other fetuses from developing fully.

But this baby – he had been strong enough to survive. He was healthy; at least that was what she wanted to believe. She had never been stronger than when she fought for this child to live.

He had been born, and his first cry was something she'd never forget in her lifetime. When he smiled at her and grabbed her finger with his tiny, perfect hand, she had never felt more alive. He was like a tiny angel in her arms, a child she had been wanting for nearly six years. And now, they were trying to take him away from her.

This was all her fault – it was from her side of the family, she knew that. She stared at the empty sky in grief, wondering again: _Why didn't you take me instead?_

They said he was a danger, that he'd grow up to become relentless and even capable of killing her and Fugaku without hesitating. She smiled through her tears. If she could die to make him normal, she would.

She stared down at the water again, clutching the baby to her chest. He was completely depending on her now. Fugaku, the doctor and the clan elders had all told her what she had to do. She had requested to be alone; she wanted to be able to cry and scream as much as she needed to. She could hear it faintly in the back of her mind; her voice would go harsh and turn into animalistic, broken sobs.

She was leaning over the fence, feeling her head spin as she looked down.

_I can't stand to see you leaving me too._

Her tears fell heavily, disappearing in the fog below.

She pulled back, suddenly anxious. She rushed off the bridge all the while holding Sasuke tightly to her chest. She looked at his sleeping face and kissed every inch of it, with more love than she even knew she had. Her entire body was trembling violently.

Mikoto swallowed hard, pressing her tears back to where they came from.

"Let's go home, Sasuke," she said and straightened her back.

When she returned, there had been a major fuss. Itachi had rushed towards her with eyes big with fear; she had never seen that horror on his face before. He had practically demanded to hold his little brother and she let him **,** watching him embrace that tiny body so utterly carefully.

Her maid had been upset that her kimono – a wedding gift from a wealthy relative - was all dirty and torn up. While she forced her down to brush her hair, Fugaku was walking around restlessly in their bedroom.

"I know what we are going to do," Mikoto told him, sitting across from him as her maid worked on her hair. "Taking Sasuke out of our lives is out of the question." For once, she had that voice that really showed that _she_ was the master of this house.

His eyes were tired and sad; she could tell he was grieving as well. "What?"

Mikoto took a deep breath and reached out for her husband's hand. "We have to contact _him_."

.

.

**Back to** **the** **P** **resent**

Sasuke looked up at his cousin, confused. "What's so special about this family anyway?"

Shisui looked at the younger boy. "I'm gonna get straight to the point, kiddo. Your powers are the result of a curse that fell upon this clan. But we gotta start from the beginning.

A thousand years ago, the Uchiha clan was founded by some of the strongest warriors that ever lived. It was an enormous clan spread out over an entire continent, with several thousand members. Our proud clan was feared all across the world – known for its specialty: warfare. It successfully invaded countries, slaughtered kingdoms and turned tens of thousands of people into slaves. Everyone knew that the Uchihas were ruthless.

This was during a time when only people with certain abilities had a chance to survive. We, who possessed the Sharingan, were superior. At the top were a few select men, who were more relentless than you can ever imagine. Power was the only thing that mattered to them. Countless people lost their lives and their countries, because of the endless greed and evil the leaders harboured.

However, their vast empire only lasted a few centuries.

The Uchihas were known to destroy everything in their way – they burned temples and churches, destroyed religious artifacts and killed everyone they came across. They had absolutely no respect for human life or the earth, slaughtering and destroying everything and everyone. Other clans cursed them, using their own powers to call upon justice for the "devil eye carriers" as they were called. They had so many nicknames, as any infamous clan does.

Folklore and stories about the "red demons" circulated for centuries. Some people said that the Uchihas broke every single one of the universal rules, and that's why they were punished. Other people said that the gods, or some higher power, were so infuriated with them that they evoked a horrible curse on them.

Or maybe, it was only the result of mutated powers – the clan sought every possible power that they could obtain, no matter the cost. When they defeated another clan with ocular powers, they experimented with their brains to obtain that genetic power and transfer them to their own. No one truly knows the true cause.

However, the payback would be a catastrophe.

After about five hundred years, something started to change. Not all of the children born into the clan were human. Some of them were born as demons – at least that's what the folklore called them. The newborn infants had long, knife-sharp claws and teeth that could tear their mothers' breasts apart, and glowing red eyes that lacked the ability to ever awaken the Sharingan. They were rumored to bring disaster and sickness to their entire family.

This changed the entire clan. The demon children couldn't be tamed. They would lash out and try to kill their family members without any restraint. They could easily eat the flesh of their own mothers. Since they were uncontrollable, they were useless in battle - no one knew how to train them. To avoid this disaster, their parents would dispose of them at birth.

But a few of these children had not fully developed into these horrid creatures at birth. The process would take several months to finish and was excruciatingly painful to the little baby. However, one of these children was rumored to survive. Having completed his development outside of the womb, he was able to control himself and also awaken the Sharingan.

The greedy clan saw an opportunity in this. But it was not easy; the infant would scream every hour of the day, for months. It hardly ate and was constantly ill. Eventually, the parents couldn't bear to see their child suffer anymore, and had it killed.

These infant deaths caused the clan to diminish considerably during the last five hundred years. It started becoming more and more uncommon to have fully developed demon children; most of them were either stillborn or in their developing phase.

By this time, the clan had run out of power to continue their warfare and had no strong leaders left. The few remaining members had settled down to focus on farming, and were generally quite peaceful. Around that time, it all seemed to end. Three hundred years passed, and the clan was saved from this terror.

Then modern technology and industrialism developed, and only a very small part of the Uchiha clan remained to see this day. The only remaining members were Fugaku, his brothers and their respective families. Sasuke, you were the first developing demon child born in the past hundred years. Or so we thought – until a certain man appeared."

Sasuke flinched. "Who?"

Shisui laughed a bit, suddenly becoming his usual self. "I'm not allowed to tell you, kiddo. Moreover, he's been dead for ages."

Sasuke looked intensely at him. "What happened when I was born?"

"I wasn't there when it happened. But from what I've heard… Itachi made sure you would have a normal life and grow up without turning into a demon. That's why he is partially like you. You two share a bond made by sacred blood."

The younger boy paled. "Itachi… did that... for me?"

Shisui put a hand on his shoulder, rolling his eyes as if it was obvious.

"He has always loved you more than himself, Sasuke. It's strange that you don't see it, but I do, all the time. Every little thing Itachi does is to benefit you in the long run. To make you a little bit happier, little bit safer, little bit healthier... Always. I've seen that stoic man, who is usually so emotionless and cold, turn frantic with worry for you. I've seen his colorless and humorless façade break down into the most fascinating person I've ever met when he talks with you or about you. Itachi chose to carry this burden together with you. Hearing that you don't want to be a part of this breaks his heart, more than you know, Sasuke."

The younger boy stood up. He stared at his reflection in the mirror on the wall. "When you talk about it, it makes sense. I remember when I was a small child. Mom once told me about the Uchiha folklore. But I thought she just made it up… She never said that it was about _us._ "

Shisui stood beside him. "Look in the mirror, Sasuke. What do you see? You're the same as Itachi; your brotherhood is so apparent. The same eyes, the same face... it's a part of you. It's in your blood, and denying this is the same as denying your own existence."

He was hardly aware of Sasuke leaving the room so quickly that the door was flung open behind him.

Sasuke stopped in the living room, seeing his brother look up at him, the same pained look in his eyes. In the next moment, they stumbled towards the wall. He ended up pushing Itachi against it as he wrapped his arms around him in a suffocating embrace. He felt the elder mirror the action, and their lips crashed together. Sasuke didn't pull back until both of them were completely out of breath. He leaned his head against the elder's chest and closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Nii-san. I'm so fucking…"

"Hush." Itachi pressed his lips against his forehead. "I forgive you, Otouto. There's nothing you could do that I wouldn't forgive you for."

Itachi forgot all about the hostile letter for the time being. His arms were around his Otouto, where they belonged, and he was happy.

"I will always love you."

He felt Sasuke relax against him. "I love you more, Nii-san."

Itachi smiled at him, raising his eyebrows slightly. "Let's see about that, Otouto."

"What do you mean – Ouch!" Itachi had lifted him up in his arms and was already on his way to the bedroom.

.

Pale hands were sliding down a perfectly toned body, gripping it almost possessively. They stroked and massaged the sharp, masculine curves of the hips that were arching up from the satin sheets. A smile against pale lips and white teeth glinted in the light, as the long and slender hands traveled south. All the while making the body beneath them writhe and squirm.

Sasuke's back was arching at such a beautiful angle, holding up for several seconds before he fell down in utter, spent exhaustion, breathing harshly. He spread his legs invitingly, making the older figure shiver in blissful anticipation. Itachi's long dark hair was hanging loose, surrounding them both as he kissed his little brother with the utmost tenderness.

However, the younger's hands gripped his head and forced the elder down beneath his waist again. Itachi obliged happily, placing sweet kisses all around the other's inner thighs. He dipped his tongue into his navel and sucked on the milky white skin, leaving some red marks, before finally reaching the much-anticipated goal.

"Don't let anything go to waste," the younger ordered, his head falling back against the pillows. His contented humming continued as Itachi smirked against his pink, dripping flesh as he worked it with his hand.

"Of course not. When have I ever failed such an important task?" He smiled to himself before letting the tip of his tongue draw circles across the head, blowing on it lightly and watching Sasuke throw his head back with a sudden, guttural moan. Then he gently eased it all into his mouth, stroking the base gently. Months of practice had given them both skills that could blow each other's mind.

Sasuke bucked into his brother's warm mouth, feeling that heavenly, amazing pleasure that just felt _so right_ start to envelope his whole body.

He was a moaning, writhing mess on the bed, moving and squirming as he thrust his hard member into his mouth, but Itachi didn't ever complain. Sasuke enjoyed the feeling of his brother's hands, holding him firmly yet gently as his mouth worked on his member. In return, his hands gripped his brother's hair tightly without causing him pain.

He knew Itachi enjoyed it as much as he did – in fact, Itachi claimed it was his favorite taste.

The younger male's harsh breathing mixed with soft sighs and grunts. His hips were moving by themselves, rocking into Itachi's face. The elder pulled back for a moment, licking his lips as he looked at his younger brother. Sasuke was about to complain when his entire body suddenly flinched – Itachi had dug his tongue right into his slit, massaging it gently.

"Fuck – ngn… _Itachi_ ," he groaned deeply. Itachi knew how to drive him crazy with his sinfully skilled tongue.

Itachi hummed gently, sending vibrations throughout his body. Sasuke's body tensed up and he thrust himself into that waiting mouth in a harsh fit of bliss. Itachi embraced his waist, and they moaned together. His seed filled his mouth up, gushing out between his lips. The elder wiped it away with his index finger and slowly sucked on it, eyeing Sasuke with that certain glimpse in his eyes. He swallowed it all, loving that taste on his tongue. To him, it actually tasted sweet – just like Sasuke.

He then licked his lips happily before climbing up on the slender, naked body, wrapping him tightly in his arms. "My, my. How I was blessed with the sexiest little brother."

Sasuke half-glared at him under his messy bangs. His dark eyes were filled with satisfied, yet soon-to-be-reawakened lust. His entire face was flushing delightfully pink. "There's nothing sexy about me when you're in the same room."

Itachi leaned over him, baring his teeth and growling huskily. "Your face says otherwise. It makes me want to make you scream so loud. And I intend to, before this night is over."

Sasuke wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him closer. "Ngh… Stop teasing me."

"Of course, your body is far from the only thing I desire." Itachi straddled him, making their eyes meet. "I crave your voice, your smell, all your senses. Your very soul." He sighed contentedly, gently stroking the bangs out of his little brother's face. He kissed the tip of Sasuke's nose gently. "Your facial expressions, everything is a part of me."

"It all belongs to you."

Itachi smiled gently. "As my very being belongs to you."

His hair rocked in Sasuke's face, their eyes and lips so close. Itachi held himself still, but Sasuke got impatient and thrust his head upwards, making their lips crash together. Itachi knew what he wanted, and he would make sure to satisfy both of their needs tonight – nothing was sweeter than finding his release deep inside of his baby brother.

But he put his hand on the younger's chest to still him. He was reminded of the letter, and needless to say, it haunted him. Sasuke only needed to look at him to realize that something was wrong. The unspoken words between them were so strong, painfully apparent.

A blood-red color flared in the older brother's eyes, still filled with softness. He leaned closer, mumbling against his Otouto's soft skin: "How I look forward to seeing you grow older – you will be stronger than me in the end. I promise you… I will keep you safe, no matter what stands in our way."

A dark feeling was filling the room. Itachi's voice suddenly grew darker, lower, his lips parting into a vicious snarl. "No matter who I'll have to kill with my bare hands, as long as you'll be sleeping safely beside me."

Sasuke stared at him wide-eyed, suddenly realizing. "The killer… is he coming for us?"

Itaci looked straight into his eyes. "We don't know. But if he does, I'll be ready."


	6. First Encounter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is almost twice as long as usual and contains BOTH ItaSasu and MadaIzu goodness, so enjoy!

They lay there, side by side on the bed. Breathing slowly, their hands intertwined tightly. The younger boy's eyes were closed, lost in his thoughts.

Itachi turned his head slowly so he could see his face fully. His eyes followed the contour of his brother's lean appearance, the way his silky black hair surrounded his face in neat spikes and spread out on the pillow. His eyelids were delicate, so thin and white that he could see the blue veins in them.

The long eyelashes fluttered slightly. Itachi's gaze looked at the sharp nose, the pale face only tinted with a small pink flush, and those plump lips slightly parted, revealing a bit of teeth. The strong arms on either side of the lean body, the chest rising up and down in waves.

Itachi felt a heavy weight on his chest. Sasuke's hand in his was warming him, slowly melting the ice that had built up inside. The consuming despair and rage from their powers weren't things that could ever be cured – everyone would eventually slip into eternal madness. That was the life that awaited them. It was a destiny that was impossible to escape; it had already been set before they were born. But his only ray of light was right there beside him, suffocating the darkness.

He watched as his brother's eyes slowly opened to look at him, an endless, dark galaxy staring back. Sasuke turned on his side to face him properly, meeting his gaze. "What are you thinking about?"

Itachi closed his eyes, smiling gently. He felt his brother's glance linger on him. "Who else could I be thinking of, when my dear Otouto lives?"

He opened his eyes again to find Sasuke looking at him intensely. A gentle frown let him know that his brother wasn't satisfied with the answer.

"I was thinking about…" Itachi gently rolled on top of him, entwining their hands together. He leaned down so that their foreheads were touching, but closed his eyes again. "No matter what happens, I will always be bound to you."

"Neither demons nor devils can face us." Sasuke couldn't help but feel a bit smug, smiling slightly against his brother's lips.

"Our history is mired with blood and filth. For centuries, our clan has been avoided like the plague – we've been the demons that everyone cursed and repelled. But they never knew the strength of the love we are able to feel, despite our monstrous nature. In fact, no one can feel a love sweeter, a passion more lust-filled and devotion stronger than the Uchihas, the demons. Maybe, that will become our salvation."

Their gazes met again, velvet black orbs staring into each other.

"Promise me one thing." The younger's face was grave.

"Anything."

"Whatever you must do, and whatever happens to you, don't leave me behind."

Sasuke didn't know how to feel, suddenly unsure how his brother would react. Itachi sighed gently. He leaned down to embrace him fully, his face resting in the crook of Sasuke's neck.

The elder's voice was nothing but a faint whisper. " _I cannot live without my life. I cannot live without my soul."_

After a few moments, he continued quietly: "How do you expect me to go on without you, even for a day? I would never abandon you. The very thought is impossible."

Itachi could not for a single moment imagine his life without his little brother – it would be an existence far too painful to endure. A part of Sasuke was flowing in his blood, beating in his heart, composing such an essential part of him.

Sasuke pressed their lips together as he raised his arms to wrap them around Itachi. Between the kisses, he continued: "Promise me I don't have to go visit Mother and Father."

"You are not going to, Otouto. I was wrong. It is too late to send you away now; we can't risk anything happening when I'm not there. But if you want to leave, I'll go with you."

Sasuke shook his head. "You have your duties. Our parents will have to wait."

Itachi rested their foreheads together again, closing his eyes tightly. "Thank you."

Itachi lay down beside him and Sasuke snuggled up to his chest. He watched his older brother fall into a deep slumber, exhausted after the day's struggles. He let his index finger trace his tired face, the deep lines beneath his eyes. Itachi didn't stir; his calm breathing was the only thing heard in the room.

The younger brother pressed himself closer, feeling slightly lightheaded with exhaustion. He let his lips touch his brother's for a moment, before drawing back to rest his head in the crook of his neck. Slowly, he was wrapped in a soft darkness of memories he didn't know he had.

" _Nii-san, look!"_

_The little boy's voice was so happy and joyful, his flushed face shining bright with excitement. His small hands reached towards the cold, icy sky. The whirling snowflakes were all around, covering his dark hair like a white, shimmering halo. He spun around in pure happiness, sticking out his tongue to taste the cold._

_Itachi was meeting him on the other side of the road, finally coming home to him after a long day. He lifted him up so that the child could reach a bit further into the sky, catching more_ _snowflakes_ _in his hands and proudly showing them to his brother_ _,_ _but they all melted into water in his palm._

_With a disappointed pout, he turned his head up completely, frowning when he got some in his eyes. His thick lashes were already soaked in glimmering crystals._

_Itachi chuckled at the sight of his grimace, putting one hand on the back of his head so he could pull him closer, kissing the tip of his nose gently._

" _Lift me higher," the child commanded and Itachi complied, reaching as far as he could. Sasuke had never felt so powerful before. His sneeze put an end to his fun. Itachi carefully put him down again._

_"Let's get you inside, or you'll catch a cold."_

_"No! Please, I want to feel it again! Lift me up, Nii-san!"_

_Itachi kneeled by him, smiling gently as he rubbed Sasuke's bare hands in between his own. "You're cold as ice, Otouto."_

_Sasuke pouted, giving his most_ _imploring_ _look. "But_ _I_ _waited_ _for you all day! It's so beautiful; we could stay here and make snowmen and snow angels! We could make one for Mother –"_

_I_ _tachi gave him a gentle peck on the lips. "Tomorrow, I promise. I don't want you to get sick."_

" _Itachi."_

_The unfamiliar, dark voice startled them both. Itachi's eyes were open wide_ _,_ _the comfortable gentleness abruptly vanished from his expression. Sasuke stared past his brother's shoulder with big eyes. "Who's that?" he whispered._

_Itachi stood up and turned around, abruptly pushing Sasuke behind his back. The child didn't see a thing, clutching his brother's leg for security. He was starting to feel really cold; his body was trembling slightly. He heard Itachi's quiet, alarmed voice:_

" _What are you doing here?"_

" _My, my, what a welcome. Aside from a few more unpleasant matters, I just wanted to see how my nephews are doing." The stranger let out a dark chuckle that made Sasuke tighten his grip around Itachi's leg, his heart rushing in his small chest._

_Itachi's voice was polite but strained. "With all due respect, there is no need_ _in_ _coming all the way out here just to see us. You could've spared yourself the trouble and sent us a letter."_

" _Oh, there is. I have to take matters into my own hands_ _,_ _and a letter won't suffice."_

_There was an uncomfortable silence. Sasuke carefully poked out from behind Itachi, only seeing the bottom of a long cloak._

" _I am here to get what your family owes me_ _,_ _and I am convinced you are aware of that."_

_Itachi tensed up. "Please, settle those matters with Father –"_

_Sasuke had never heard him sound that humble to anyone else before, yet still on his guard._

" _Very well. But consider this my last warning – My patience has run out."_

_Sasuke, who had stuck out his face long enough to catch a glimpse of two glowing red eyes, took a sudden breath and hid his face in the fabric of Itachi's trousers._

" _Oh, how fortunate I am. Isn't that the newest addition to the family?" the dark, hostile voice continued. The strange man sounded oddly amused._

" _He is." Itachi's voice was_ _more strained_ _than before._

_That unnerving, dark chuckle was heard again. "I don't believe we've ever been introduced."_

_Sasuke shyly peeked at the stranger again. Through the falling darkness and snowfall, he could only make out those horrifying, empty eyes and long, black hair._

_The stranger reached out a hand. A wicked grin split his face, revealing knife-sharp teeth. A_ _lthough he was not able to see his face fully, the man resembled those figures_ _that_ _haunted_ _little Sasuke's nightmares_ _every_ _so often. He hesitated, torn between politeness and fear._

" _What an adorable little pet. Last time I saw him, he didn't quite resemble a helpless puppy. What a shame he grew up to be."_

_The entire world seemed to vibrate, as if on the edge of a massive explosion. Time seemed to have frozen_ _._ _A_ _s the now familiar man_ _moved_ _closer, his eyes seemed to swallow the child whole. Sasuke caught himself staring into them, no longer in control of his body. He found himself_ _moving_ _closer to the man, his feet taking a step forward without his consent._

_Itachi reacted immediately. His arm snatched out and abruptly pushed Sasuke back, securing him behind his back and preventing him from looking at the man._

" _Keep him out of this." Itachi's voice was sharp and grim. It sounded as if he was holding back a growl._

_The strange man's voice was colder than the snow around them. "What a waste of potential… "_

_Itachi was standing stiff_ _,_ _every muscle in his body alert. "You have no business with us. Please leave."_

_The air around them seemed to change abruptly. Sasuke felt like a tiny animal, spotted by the bird of prey above. There was no way to escape. Suddenly he felt defenseless and exposed, even in the direct presence of his big brother._

" _Now, what is this that I see? A mere child, using my power against me_ _?" He laughed manically, but there was a horrifying, dark edge to it. His voice seemed to bounce off and echo. Itachi didn't reply, just keeping his position in front of Sasuke._

" _How flattering." Swiftly, the man moved forward and in less than a second, he had ripped Itachi's right shoulder open_ _. Sasuke suddenly saw the intruder's long, razor-sharp claws. They buried themselves deep within his brother's pale flesh, tearing it apart. His winter coat was soaked in blood._

_I_ _tachi managed to keep silent; only a low hiss escaped his clenched teeth._

" _Know your place." Without sparing them a glance, the man turned around. The last thing Sasuke saw of him was his long, black hair dragging along after him in the deep snow._

" _Nii-san!" Sasuke cried in despair. Itachi kneeled down by his side again. His face was stern but didn't show any signs of pain. His entire shoulder and a part of his chest were wounded_ _,_ _marred by long, deep scratches. He was bleeding all over and clutching his shoulder,_ _yet_ _he managed to smile in an attempt to comfort him_ _. "Hush, Otouto. I'll be fine."_

" _No! You're bleeding, Nii-san!" Sasuke felt upset tears fill his eyes."He hurt you!" he wailed in utter horror. Who was that man? No one was strong enough to hurt his brother._

_Yet, there was something about him that was so hauntingly familiar…_

_He saw the blood fall onto the snow, leaving dark red drops that sank down into the white mass. Itachi rearranged his clothing to cover the wounds as much as he could._

" _Don't cry, Otouto. Don't be afraid. No matter what, I won't allow that man to hurt you."_

_The child stared at his brother with tears welling out of his big eyes. He remembered the almost hypnotizing stare of the stranger, how his body had acted on its own will._

" _Who is he, Nii-san?"_

" _It doesn't matter." Itachi took him into his arms, embracing him tightly. "You're safe. But for your sake, you'll be better off if you forget this."_

_Sasuke grasped his brother's chest tightly and dried his tears against his neck. "Are you in pain, Nii-san?"_

"… _No."_

" _Let me see."_

_The elder hesitated, but Sasuke ignored him. He looked at the long, nasty wounds. His tiny hand gently traced them, noticing the elder flinch slightly._

" _It does hurt," he protested sadly._

" _As long as he doesn't hurt you, he can do whatever he wants to me."_

_Sasuke watched his fingers soil in blood. After thinking for a moment, he collected some snow in his hands and pressed it against the wounds. "This will make it feel better, Nii-san."_

_Itachi closed his eyes, a small smile on his lips. "Thank you, Otouto."_ _After a moment_ _,_ _he added: "Your lips are blue. Let's get you inside."He lifted him up, cradling him to his chest as he started walking towards the house._

_Sasuke looked up at him in confusion, trembling even more from the cold. "What did you mean about forgetting?"_

" _Nothing." The elder stared at him. His sudden crimson red eyes caught Sasuke's gaze_ _,_ _and he was no longer afraid._

When he woke up from his slumber, Sasuke found that Itachi had wrapped his arms around him in his sleep, holding him tight. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to let that repressed memory sink in fully. He felt himself start trembling lightly, as in a delayed reaction. He let his lips move from Itachi's neck down to the large scars on his shoulder, kissing them with utmost tenderness.

.

For the past week, Shisui had been working overtime on the case at the police department, but they still had no promising leads. Itachi had his own clients to tend to, but he found himself unable to concentrate fully until the murder case was solved. He instinctively knew that the Sharingan killer, whoever he was, could only be taken down by someone of his own kind.

He met up with his cousin at the police station. Shisui escorted him to his private office. "Long time no see, Itachi! It gets really boring here without you."

Itachi raised an eyebrow, slightly amused. "I'm not that funny."

His cousin smiled. "I'm glad to have you on this case, Itachi. I really am."

"I'm convinced you could do fine even without my help."

"Don't say that. You've always been too kind." They sat down at Shisui's desk, which was stuffed with broken pencils, piles of reports, sharpeners, post-it notes, erasers and other clutter.

All signs of amusement disappeared from Itachi's face, and he adopted his most serious facial expression again. "I need a full update on the case."

His cousin looked content with himself. "We've gotten some really interesting info regarding the autopsy of the first victim."

"Yes?"

"Her stomach contained an extremely high dose of strychnine. It's a highly toxic substance known to cause muscle convulsions. She also had traces of it around her mouth. From the way it was smeared all over her mouth, she might have been forced to swallow it. But considering it's a transparent and colorless liquid, it could have been inserted into her drink. Her siblings confirmed that she was supposed to be out that night and never came home. When we talked to her friends whom she was supposed to meet in town, they said she never showed up."

"Where were they supposed to meet her?"

"At a local bar in town. Her friends believed she might have gone ahead of them. After that, we can only speculate. Maybe she met the killer and was somehow tricked into drinking the poison, which was slipped into her drink - or maybe she was abducted. However, the killer then somehow managed to move her to the location of the crime. It seems she was still alive when they arrived there.

She didn't have any bruises on her body that showed signs of self-defense, so most likely she was already unconscious when he assaulted her. Somehow, he also got hold of another woman's nightwear and dressed her up in it. The owner of it has not yet been tracked down."

Itachi bit back a wave of disgust that welled up from the bottom of his stomach. His voice was completely emotionless. "Let us hope she had already passed away when he started extracting her blood from her skin."

Shisui held back a grimace. "I can't concentrate on anything else until we've caught him. I swear, I won't rest until that sick son of a bitch is caught."

"It's confirmed to be a male?" Itachi inquired.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you about that. We found quite a lot of body fluids at the scene. It's quite difficult for a woman to leave potent semen all over a person. The semen had no match in our database, but anyone who is not in our register will still be out there, unnoticed until we've found a suspect to compare it to. But we haven't ruled out the possibility of a second person being involved in this."

"Didn't anyone see anything?" Itachi rubbed his temples and sighed. "It was an entire alleyway!"

"We asked around in the surrounding neighbourhoods. A woman lives right above the first crime scene. One moment she was looking out at the dark, empty street from her kitchen window. She saw nothing out of the ordinary. Roughly twenty minutes later when she looked out again, it was all covered in blood and the body was there. No one had heard any screams or fights. He worked quickly."

Itachi skimmed through his case files. "We can't disregard the second murder. It was carried out in another way, but I'm sure it's connected to the first one."

Shisui nodded. "It can hardly have become a new trend to draw Sharingans around your brutally killed victims. But this guy isn't clear about his methods, and it drives me insane. First, something that seems to be a typical revenge or jealousy crime: a young woman that has been sexually assaulted. Second, a young man, who has instead been mutilated! We have no suspects, no witnesses, and no other evidence."

"So we know that the murderer is someone who had absolutely no connection to the victims, uses several different ways of torture and draws Sharingans around them. Also, the use of poison could just as well be a random method."

Shisui nodded again. "We've tried to find similar factors, but all we could find was that the victims were about the same ages, and both of them had a partner of the opposite sex. But nothing else is common about them – they are from different towns, have different home situations and different professions. They had never met."

"Most likely randomly picked." Itachi gritted his teeth. "What bothers me the most is that they were both killed in the same area. It means that anyone here is in danger of being picked out as the next victim."

His cousin sighed. "If we only had a motive of some kind, a motivation… But instead we're fumbling in darkness. Just that one word, _payback._ I just don't understand why someone would exact revenge on someone whom they have absolutely no connection to."

The thought of the letter he received resurfaced in Itachi's mind. But he had decided, in contemplation with Shisui, to carry on with the case as usual. He was not going to be stopped by anonymous threats, no matter how sinister they were. Yet, the worry was always there.

.

A cold wind swept through the abandoned sawmill. The old, worn-out wood was creaking as usual. Doors were being slammed shut and falling off. The blood splatter on the walls and floors was changing; sometimes it was there, sometimes not. Sometimes it was fresh, other times it was completely dried up.

Izuna never caught these differences; he was far too lost in the turmoil in his own head. Madara did notice, but he paid it no mind. He could live anywhere, no matter how disturbed a place might be, as long as his little brother was safe.

Here, far away from civilization, no one could find them and they could exist in peace. They had been living here for roughly three months, and for the first time in many years, they felt somewhat peaceful – as much as their surroundings would allow them to. They were not alone here, not for a moment. But as long as the other presences didn't disturb them, Madara could allow them to exist.

But along with the peacefulness came the worry. The sawmill was located far away in the woods among mountains and occasional rice fields. There was almost no poison available here. Izuna's seizures had been getting worse every day, and Madara had to travel longer each time to find enough to calm him.

When they lived in the sewers in the bigger cities, there would be a constant flood of carcasses and corpses filled with various substances available; he never had to search far. But now, the lack of it was becoming more apparent each day.

Taking care of his younger brother had become a duty that required his full attention every hour of the day. But Madara didn't mind – he never had. Izuna was everything he had ever lived for.

With a slight grunt, he stood up and left the small workshop of the building. His long, flowing mane of hair was trailing behind him, turning grey from dirt and dust. His steps were heavy, firm and determined; they hit every board in the floor with a noticeable squeak.

The knives were now clean and sharp; he made sure to keep his weapons and tools in perfect condition.

An upset scream disturbed his heavy thoughts. By pure instinct, Madara hurried towards the room they had made into their bedroom. Izuna had been much calmer since he got his eyes removed. Was his previous distress returning?

This room was the darkest one but also the one that wasn't haunted. The big fireplace was burning, casting its glowing dark light over the room. The elder entered, seeing his little brother writhing on the hard wooden bed as if in severe pain.

"Nii-san… make it stop! Make it stop," he begged despairingly, clutching his head. "I can't take it anymore!"

Madara leaned over him, gently stroking his forehead. "What's wrong, Otouto?"

"I hear… the sounds… they are coming from above, Nii-san! They're everywhere! I thought they were gone…"

Madara heard it too, from the living quarters and the attic upstairs. An infant's heartbreaking cry and a woman's sharp, yelling voice that silenced abruptly. A sound of something heavy hitting the floor. The baby's cries ended in a sudden gurgling. It sounded like heavy furniture was being dragged across the floor; the creaking of old, half rotten wooden planks never ceased. Rushed steps, a woman's hollow singing voice, and that baby crying and laughing in between.

Most of all, the sound of a man and a woman arguing violently, the sounds of slaps and punches. It never stopped, but it reached its very peak during the nights. The days were rather calm; only a cold wind and some doors being slammed shut and then opened again revealed the presences.

"This place has been empty for ten years, Otouto."

Izuna's voice was near the breaking point in desperation. "You… have got to tell them… to stop! I can't take it anymore!"

The elder scowled. Nothing in this world could frighten him, but he'd rather not go upstairs. The sight of the massacre reminded him of his grim childhood; something he had buried in the past along with the bodies of his mother and father. The loss of their parents had hurt Izuna deeply. He had been such a gentle, happy and loving child.

"Hush," he whispered. "Your angst will subside eventually. There is a life beyond this, and I will make sure you are there to see it."

The younger man's whining continued. "I am afraid, Nii-san…"

Madara's hand snatched forward, holding his chin in a steel grip. "Otouto, why are you afraid? Answer me. Why are you afraid? Do you doubt my ability to keep you safe?" He clenched his teeth.

"No, Nii-san…"

"Do you think that I'd let anyone come near you or even think about hurting you?"

"No…"

Madara leaned over and kissed him hard, swallowing his brother's whimpers and weak protests. His lips massaged the younger's, calming them both down. He let one of his hands stroke the mane of wild, unruly black hair that Izuna possessed. His love was burning like a wildfire in his chest, a violent flame that nothing could ever put out.

Izuna wrapped his arms around his neck, silently begging. Madara wished he wasn't wearing his bandage so he could look into the beautiful eyes of his baby brother, but that'd have to wait. Izuna couldn't see a thing; his new eyes were still too sensitive to be exposed to light.

He had gladly accepted the pitch-black darkness he had been thrown into; he trusted his big brother completely and had let him take his eyes without any protests. If Madara said it was for the better, then it was. He didn't need Izuna's consent for anything – the younger was far too willing to give it to him anyway.

"Please, Nii-san… I need you to make it go away…" The trembling voice moved something deep inside of the elder, something he couldn't deny. Madara had only one weak point, and Izuna had just found it and pressed it so delicately.

He pulled back, straightening his figure. His red eyes glinted dangerously in the darkness. "I'll be back, Otouto."

He exited the room, leaving Izuna alone. He went into the open room and saw the hole in the floor above. The original stairs had collapsed long ago; it was impossible to get up or down from there. If you weren't Madara, that is. He took a swift leap into the air, landing smoothly on the cracking wooden boards above. He could feel the disturbed spirits all around him; they screamed at him to leave.

The woman was the worst. She was angry; she didn't want them there. She could stand them being on the bottom floor, but she had claimed the second floor as hers and guarded it fiercely. Her upset screaming was echoing in the back of his mind, but he ignored her.

Madara's loud steps seemed to aggravate her more as he confidently walked into the largest room, completely dismissing the dreadful scene around him.

_You are disturbing my sanctuary, demon._

"This is a hellhole," he replied coldly. The room where the family had lived was splattered with dried blood: on the floor, on the dining table and on the old, roughly carved out wooden beds and dressers. The empty drawers had been thrown about in the room.

Her body was long gone, but there were traces of it everywhere. The fireplace was lit, although no one had been around. An old, hand-made crib was placed in front of it. In the bottom of it, there were bloodstains, deep slashes made by a knife, and a dirty piece of baby clothing. Not even the maggots had bothered to stay.

He could feel her becoming more furious as he approached the crib. Her dark energy was surrounding him, trying to suffocate him in his mind. He spitefully shrugged her off.

She tore off the door to the bedroom and threw it at him in her fury. _Don't you dare go there, you devil._

He turned around, easily dodging it and laughing out loud as a malicious grin made its way to his lips. Her desperate fury was oddly satisfying. He scowled with annoyance as she started her never-ending rant in the back of his mind.

_He stole everything I had. He stole my life. I watched my baby struggle for breath_ _,_ _but he suffocated that fragile light… I tried to stop him, but he was too strong…_

"Save your heartbreaking story for someone who cares," he replied as he put his foot in the crib and demolished it with his weight. Her terrified spirit was all over the place: tearing down kitchen utensils from the shelves and making the room's temperature grow ever colder.

Nothing could faze him in the slightest. She wondered how someone could be that heartless – like her husband had been after he lost his mind over that woman. But the man in front of her wasn't human like he had been – he was nothing but a soulless monster. She could see the pure maliciousness in his glowing eyes and the remorseless smile on his lips.

Madara heard her nervous chattering deep inside. The baby clothes got even dirtier beneath his sole as he pressed his shoe deeper.

_You shouldn't have a human body, demon. Someone like you should be banished to the darkest pits of hell where you belong._ _C_ _urse you, demon! Curse you!_

"Damn annoying woman," he muttered. He smiled sadistically. "If you had a physical body, I'd tie you up and not stop until your voice was harsh from screaming and your throat was bleeding from my fingerprints. But it seems that your husband beat me to it."

He saw all the religious symbols she had painted across the walls and floors and the marble crosses and dirty, damaged statues of saints. "Did you get any peace of mind from them?" he wondered amusedly.

He kicked the broken remains of the crib into the dying fire. His hand clutched the small baby bonnet and suit. "No dirty saint can keep the demons away. For someone who has lost it all, hell is on earth. For me, there is no heaven and has never been." He chuckled darkly to himself.

Her voice was thick as she cried from furious rage. _I'm going to let you watch him die. I'm going to worsen his condition and let you suffer like I did._

"I'm here in the first place –" With a smooth movement, he lit a match from the table and threw it into the fireplace. The crib was soon ablaze. "- because your endless sobbing and screaming disturbs my brother. Anything that hurts him is to be eliminated."

_Leave. This is my sanctuary!_

"This is the place where your own husband slit your throat for his mistress before running away with her," he reminded her coldly. "It's time to reunite with him. But to help you let go…"

_No! I beg of you, demon! Leave! Let me be or I shall -_

He threw the baby clothing into the fire, hearing a despairing scream that would freeze any human's blood to ice. "Get gone. And may your saints save you if you decide to come back and disturb my brother one more time."

The baby clothes turned black and crumpled together in a moment. That mournful baby's cry was heard one last time. The bright orange flames licked the crib, soon turning everything into ash. As the fire died, her presence faded away.

Madara turned around, completely unfazed, and left the room.


	7. Stay With Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized this fic is one of my most extensive works so far. I think I spend about eight hours just writing and editing each chapter. But it's totally worth it. 
> 
> Many thanks to my beta reader May - I really appreciate your hard work!

"Nii-san…" Izuna was deeply relieved when he heard the heavy steps coming back. He reached out his hands, searching for the sensation of familiar fabric or skin on his fingertips. He felt calmer than usual, almost euphoric.

He heard the sounds of his brother moving around in the room, lighting the fireplace. It was followed by the rustle of old newspapers and heavy wood being thrown onto it. He felt Madara lift him up and place him on the bench closer to the fire. Gratefully, he turned his face against the crackling heat. Everything was perfect now. It was only him and his brother, alone in their own world.

Yet, he wanted to make sure. "Are they gone?"

"There are no more voices, Otouto." Madara's deep voice sent chills down his spine, and he almost shivered. The older man was so close… and his need was aching and burning inside.

Madara leaned over the younger, pressing their lips together in a soft kiss.

Izuna smiled. "I love you, Nii-san."

The elder swiftly moved to lie on top of his brother. He leaned down to kiss him deeply. "I'd do anything for you, Otouto. I'd roll in the flames of hell for your sake." His voice was dark, growing impatient.

Izuna felt tears leaking out beneath his bandage, covering his pale cheeks. He heard Madara take off his clothes and then felt him remove his own, leaving him completely exposed and vulnerable to the older man. As he wept silently, he felt Madara's lips touch his stomach, calming him down as they traveled lower. Madara growled as he bit and licked the soft skin between his brother's firm, beautiful thighs. The sight of that smooth skin drove him insane.

" _I crave you_ , Otouto."

"Please, Nii-san…" He spread out his body, leaving himself completely open. Whimpering in need, he felt his member growing stiff and hard. His moan turned into a gasp as he felt Madara's warm mouth sliding down on him, licking that most sensitive part. His hips thrust up only to be held down by his firm, strong hands.

How he loved the roughness of those hands, separating his legs, touching him, being inside of him and in his mouth. He couldn't wait anymore – he wanted to give his all to him. Madara's low, rumbling voice was filling his entire body with the sensation of electric impulses, threatening to spill over the edge.

His older brother was like a storming sea: dangerous and endlessly deep. It could swallow anyone whole, and it was only calm at dawn. Those calms moments were rare; mostly, it threw its forceful waves all over, drowning and crushing everything in its way.

But it was so endlessly beautiful. When his waves retreated, they pulled Izuna in a deep, safe embrace. Madara had two different personalities: one part of him was cold and cruel, merciless and monstrous. The other side of him, the one that was as rare as a calm sea, had endless depths of tenderness and care.

Izuna knew he was the only one who had ever seen that side of him, and it made him love his brother even more. Madara could be forceful and cold with him too, forcing him to submit to his violent urges and cravings. But Izuna would gladly give him his body anytime, if it could calm his brother down and keep that monster inside at bay. They needed each other like a drug, a violent abuse of each other that could only be stilled by their mouths and lips pressing against each other.

Izuna always did whatever his brother told him to; he was completely submissive to the elder. If his beloved Nii-san was happy, so was he. He would die for him, if Madara allowed him to.

He thrust his hips upwards in blind bliss, feeling that hot cavern surround him. Madara's lips on his sensitive manhood brought him to the edge of absolute ecstasy. Just as he was about to let himself go in his mouth with a throaty moan, he felt the heat retreating.

His sad whine was silenced when he felt three fingers shoved into his mouth, and he greedily started sucking on them, coating them in his saliva. Madara rarely cared for preparation. Neither did Izuna; he was willing to take all pain even if his brother's girth almost tore him apart.

After a quick preparation, Madara thrust himself in roughly with a low grunt. Izuna felt his entire body sucking him in as he wrapped his legs around his waist to keep him as close as possible. Madara did not waste any time. His voice was low and strained. Nothing was more arousing than the feeling of his brother's body caught helplessly beneath his own.

"You're the only one who can make me forget."

The older started moving in rough, heavy thrusts, throwing his entire body weight into them. He never held back – he needed much pleasure to be satisfied. Every time his baby brother clenched around him, he was thrown into a spiral of pleasure, starting from the bottom of his stomach and ending in his very fingertips.

Every sensation was so much stronger to the younger man when he was unable to see. Izuna threw his head back in breathless pants and moans, focused on the feeling of every hard thrust right into his deepest core.

It felt perfect – Madara made him perfect, and no drug or poison could make his nerves short-circuit this way. His hands clawed at his older brother's shoulders, moaning his name in bliss. He left bloody scratches, making the elder groan hotly in his ear.

Madara grunted as he repeatedly pounded into his brother. He felt himself getting rougher as the pleasure and warmth in his lower abdomen grew to higher heights. Izuna was surrounding him so sweetly – he was addicted to that velvety, warm channel that massaged his member so delicately. His brother fit him like a glove, as if his body was made only for _him._

He leaned down to bite Izuna's neck, drawing blood and enjoying the taste on his tongue. He licked the wound as the blood kept pouring, being rewarded with a loud moan from the younger. His arms encircled him and held him so tight; Izuna could only rest helplessly in his arms as his body was thrown back and forth with every thrust.

Madara mumbled incoherent words in his ear, taking in every facial expression of his brother. Izuna clenched up around him, making the elder's voice grow to a loud rumble.

" _You're mine. Only mine_."

Izuna's mouth fell open in pure delirium. " _N-nii-san_..."

"Otouto…" the elder breathed, almost blinded by the pleasure flashing behind his eyelids. He was so close to the edge that he could almost taste it. He could hear it in the way Izuna's moans and pants got louder and more desperate.

The younger man desperately tried to catch himself, at the edge of his prominent orgasm. Madara didn't give him any time to do so, wanting to satisfy his own greed by driving him into the spiraling heights of pleasure and increasing the speed of his thrusts. Izuna's back arched with every movement, his skin gleaming with sweat.

" _I… can't…_ " the younger gasped, his nails burying themselves into Madara's shoulders even harder. The elder caught his lips and bit down hard, making Izuna moan from the sudden pain. The blood flowed in-between their mouths, and Madara gave him a couple harder thrusts, feeling his own voice turn into a deep pant.

" _Who do you belong to?_ "

" _You! ... ngnh…_ "

Madara groaned long and deep, feeling just how deep he was able to reach. They were one. He felt himself falling over the edge into sheer bliss, spilling his hot seed into his little brother's warm channel. He groaned in satisfaction, as he felt Izuna lose himself as well and spasm around him.

As he lay down on the younger, feeling sticky seed between them, he kissed him again. He would give up anything to make Izuna able to see again, to be able to look into his eyes. The sounds he made were delightful, but nothing could compare to his look of orgasmic bliss.

"I won't ever leave you," he mumbled, with a tenderness that even surprised himself.

A small smile graced Izuna's sore lips. "I love you more than anything else, Nii-san."

Madara rested his head on his chest, still holding him in a possessive embrace. His eyes glowed slightly in the dusk. "As do I, Otouto."

.

.

Itachi had thought that the threatening letter was nothing but a hoax. At first, nothing seemed to happen and he slowly started to forget about it. It wasn't the first time he had received a threat when working on a case.

But when he entered his office one morning, he realized that the sender had indeed been serious. Someone had painted his desk, his office computer and the keyboard completely red. The floor was covered with a far too familiar red substance, smeared all over.

Once again, it was made with the utmost care: a perfect red circle on the floor with three black dots. It stared up at him maliciously as he entered the room. The rest of the office was completely untouched; not a pencil was missing or out of place. Itachi always kept his workplace obsessively tidy, and the intruder had managed to paint everything without moving anything an inch.

Shisui who was walking up behind him gasped. " _What the hell?_ "

Itachi's Sharingan had activated automatically. His body was completely frozen, his hard gaze scanning the room.

"I can't believe this!" his cousin rambled. "How could they get in here? It's been locked the entire night! It's the eight floor, for God's sake!"

Itachi's secretary came running when she spotted some of the vicious artwork through the open door. Despite her heavy pumps and tight skirt, she managed to get to them impressively quickly.

"I-I-Itachi-san, what's going on?" She was horrified, covering her mouth with her hand as she realized the extent of the intruder's work.

He turned around, trying to sound as calm as possible in order not to scare her any more. "Someone has been in here. I trust you not to pass this on to anyone. It's of the utmost importance that you keep it a secret."

"Yes, yes, of course…" She nodded erratically. She wasn't the one to ever question the person she was working for. She was also far too intimidated by the tall, handsome Uchiha to ever think of defying him.

He turned towards his cousin. "Please call the lab and ask them to send a crime technician as soon as possible. They have to keep quiet about it." His voice was empty.

"Will do." Shisui was already on the phone, looking very grim.

Itachi knew better than to ever step into an untouched crime scene, but something caught his attention. It seemed like the unknown killer had bothered to leave something behind, just this once. The note was neatly folded – whoever left it was clearly pedantic. It was placed by the outer edge of the Sharingan, right in front of his shoes.

"They're on their way," Shisui reported as he hung up. He eyed his cousin's pale face.

"Can you please bring us some coffee?" he asked the secretary politely. As soon as she had left, he put a hand on Itachi's shoulder as if to shake life into him. "Are you alright?"

The younger man was very tense, his gaze unfocused. "The murderer has been here – there isn't a chance it isn't him."

"Don't worry. I'm sure we'll catch him." Shisui tried to smile encouragingly, but his cousin's face was cold as stone. He started getting worried for Itachi's well-being.

"It's impossible to break into here," the prosecutor continued emotionlessly. "The level of security here is the same as that of the police headquarters."

Fifteen minutes later, the technicians arrived. Itachi got a pair of latex gloves from them, and as they started collecting samples, he examined the note. It contained one single sentence, typewritten in black.

_Last chance. If you don't abandon this case now, I'll show you exactly what I mean. Is it worth losing everyone you love?_

_._

"Listen, Itachi. I don't think you should worry so much. The guy is just trying to scare us. We can't give in to his game."

The long-haired Uchiha was staring blankly into his fifth cup of black coffee. He stirred the drink over and over again. Only his convulsive way of holding the teaspoon revealed his tenseness.

"I know this is unsettling. But they are increasing the security even more now. We can't let it get to us. If we do, it's the same thing as admitting defeat." Shisui desperately tried to talk some sense back into his cousin, with no luck whatsoever. He had always felt a big brother instinct around Itachi.

After a long silence, he spoke up quietly, so as not to disturb the other persons at the office's cafeteria: "Are you going to quit the case?"

"That's exactly what the bastard wants." Itachi raised his head with a jerk, his eyes glowing in a bright blood red color – no Sharingan visible.

Shisui felt his heart start beating faster. "Not here - calm down, Itachi." He instinctively reached out his hand towards his cousin, but Itachi flinched out of his reach. A low growl escaped his lips.

"He's playing with us. He enjoys seeing us struggle like this."

Shisui stared at him, not sure what to say. A worried frown made its way onto his face. "You refused to eat anything for breakfast or lunch. You're literally going on coffee, I don't think that's –"

The younger male's hand closed around the teaspoon violently. His voice was strained. "I don't know what I'm becoming anymore."

"Hey now - " Shisui leaned over him, trying to maintain eye contact."Here is no place to lose control. Listen to me. Take a deep breath."

Itachi's lips instinctively parted to reveal his teeth, but the glow in his eyes started to fade away and his tense body relaxed.

"You're worried about Sasuke, right?"

Itachi clenched his teeth. "It won't take him long to realize what my weak point is. I cannot allow that to happen. Furthermore, you and Sasuke are the only ones he is physically capable of going after." His voice was so low that Shisui was barely able to hear it, despite having leaned in very close.

"And now that this has started, none of us is safe until he's been captured. We have to double our efforts. I won't be able to leave for any missions nor fulfill my job here until I have completely made sure that Sasuke won't get hurt."

Shisui nodded slowly, his Sharingan activated as well. "This guy might be smart, but despite his pretty little paintings, he doesn't know what our clan is capable of. When we fully release our power, he won't stand a chance against us."

"One more thing," Itachi said sternly. "I need to ask you a favor, Shisui. Sasuke can be very foolish; he doesn't know what's best for him. As you know, he sometimes decides to do something and completely disregards the consequences. Having such a capable killer around is a big risk. He could easily fall into his traps. I need you to help me keep an eye on him at all times."

"I'll do everything in my power to protect him," Shisui promised gravely.

.

.

Sasuke met them at the door when they came home in the afternoon. Itachi kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry Otouto, but I've got an urgent meeting with the Akatsuki. I'll be back later tonight. Shisui will stay with you."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "I thought you had quit working for them?"

"I have. It's just a one-time occasion; Tobi needs my assistance and I have to ask him about something very important."

The younger boy's facial expression didn't change, to Itachi's surprise. "I'm going out with some friends tonight. I'll keep my phone on at all times, and I won't do anything reckless."

Itachi's entire body tensed up, his entire behavior changing. "You cannot," he said sternly.

His little brother was as defiant as ever. "Why not?"

"Because of the current circumstances. It's too dangerous." Itachi had already started packing his bag with various tools, not looking at him. He spoke in a firm, matter-of-fact tone that Sasuke knew he couldn't argue with. Yet, nothing would stop him from trying.

"Come on! I won't be as stupid as last time. I swear I won't talk to anyone I don't know. I need to get out of here. All my friends are going out."

"You'll go another day, when I have time to accompany you."

Sasuke felt disappointment and anger mix into a bitter taste in his mouth. "Why do you always do this to me?" he snapped.

Itachi had already put on his coat again and was on his way out the door. Sasuke would have rushed after him if he didn't feel a hand on his shoulder stopping him.

"You should listen to him," Shisui said quietly. "You don't know what can happen."

Sasuke cursed loudly and jerked himself away from his cousin's grip. "Let me go."

Itachi had already left; they were alone in the living room. Shisui was completely serious, not a trace of humor on his face.

"Calm down, Sasuke."

"I'm calm!"

"No, you're not. Sit down."

Sasuke sent a murderous glance towards him, before throwing himself on the couch with as much defiance as he could possibly muster.

Shisui crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Listen to me. You must be more careful now that you've awakened your powers. Most importantly, watch that temper of yours. Now in the beginning, you're the most sensitive and most easily triggered. Just like the Sharingan, your demonic rage can be awakened when you feel threatened or are in a dangerous situation. Losing your temper might mean unintentionally killing everyone around you – you will not be able to control yourself. The rage will consume you."

Sasuke didn't answer, but the elder could tell he was listening.

He continued: "With time, it will take much more to awaken your wrath. But until then, you've got to be very careful. It's about life and death, do you understand me? Only someone with powers like yours will be strong enough to stop you."

"I get it!" Sasuke's entire body was tense; it was apparent that he didn't. He was still looking at the place where Itachi had left just a couple of minutes earlier, with an almost longing look on his face.

With an experience that came from years of dealing with unstable people, the elder calmly sat down in the opposite armchair. "Then why are you about to explode?"

Sasuke hit his head against the wall in frustration. "I can never go out and have fun, because he's always there telling me what I can't do! I'll never learn from my mistakes, because the jerk never lets me make any! It's as if he already assumes that I'm gonna mess up. He doesn't trust me. Just because he has never done anything dangerous in his entire life! Does he even know what alcohol tastes like?"

Shisui rolled his eyes and leaned back in the chair, folding his arms. "He does trust you; it's obvious. But he doesn't trust the people around you. As long as you insist on being a reckless, careless brat who never thinks of the consequences of what you do, he has to do that. He has a lot of other duties, but you're giving him a hard time. Itachi worries about you constantly, and it's tearing him down."

Sasuke's eyes flared. "It's none of your fucking business what I do with my life!"

"Listen to me," Shisui said firmly. "A young woman lost her life out there, because she was careless and accepted a drink from a stranger. What do we learn from that?"

"That not all people out there are killers! You two need therapy!"

"Yes, and you know all about that." Shisui's voice was soaked with irony. "I think that I'm a little more experienced than you in this field, kiddo."

He had lost all patience with Itachi's stubborn younger brother. _Why do they always let me handle all_ _the_ _rebellious teenagers? I'd rather work a twelve-hour shift in a fast food stand during_ _the_ _tourist season. That'd be less exhausting._

"I can take care of myself, damn it! These powers –"

"Don't. Ever. Rely on them. Do you hear me, Sasuke? They can fail you anytime. You've just been lucky."

Sasuke stood up. "I can't spend my life like this, it's ridiculous! Everybody my age goes out partying and drinking, it's no big deal!"

"We both know how that ended," Shisui retorted.

"It was just _one time_! Can you let it go already? Or are we going to court over this?"

"I just need you to know what you put Itachi through that night. And if something had actually happened… you need to think about that."

"I'm not as stupid as Suigetsu or Naruto."

Shisui forced himself to keep calm. No matter how much he wanted to talk some real sense into his bratty cousin sometimes, he knew he should leave that to Itachi – the only person Sasuke ever listened to when he got upset. He decided to try a different angle.

"You're still a minor, Sasuke. If you put your body through something harmful, it is Itachi's job as your legal guardian to stop you from doing it. It would be absolutely reckless if he just said 'Whatever' and let you go out during these circumstances. Is that what you want? Despite being Itachi's younger brother, you are not very smart. Do you want to get brain damage, STDs and trauma for the rest of your life?"

Sasuke scowled. He didn't show it, but the words definitely hurt.

"Since both of you like to accuse me of things I have never done and will never do, I might as well do them right now instead of being babysat by you! Yeah, maybe I should have had sex that night too, since you seem to think that I have no limits. You think I would hurt Itachi without caring, and that I don't care what happens to me? Then I have news for you!

If I didn't love him, I would be out there right now, not giving a fuck about anything and doing whatever I wanted with anyone. But I'm not like that."

He left the room in his usual angry manner, bursting into Itachi's study. The hole in the wall, left after Sasuke's first fit of fury, was still there. It made him feel uncomfortable. He shut the door behind him and contemplated whether he should raid Itachi's desk or not.

_This case is just as much about me as_ _it is_ _about Itachi.  
_

He slowly moved towards his brother's perfectly tidy desk, seeing his briefcase placed on the table. His heart was beating all the way up in his throat; he didn't know why he felt nervous. He knew his brother wouldn't be home for many hours. But Shisui was still around…

_I don't care what happens. I need him here._

He didn't know why his hands were shaking slightly; he wasn't exactly doing something forbidden. But his brother had always kept him oblivious of his cases, saying it was better for him if he did not know anything about them. Sasuke knew that Itachi would frown and gently tell him to stay away, if he was here.

But he wasn't – and the bed was always cold when Sasuke went to sleep. It was as if the elder wasn't living here anymore, too wrapped up in his work. The younger boy clenched his teeth in silent anger.

So much for living together.

His briefcase was locked of course, but Sasuke had learned a few tricks in his days. He picked up one of the pens in Itachi's drawer and gently worked with the lock until it opened with a soft clicking sound. Opening it was like getting access to that part of his brother that didn't belong to _him,_ but to the people who paid him for assisting them.

He lifted up the neatly collected bundles of paper reports. Nothing of interest. Every time he heard Shisui move outside in the living room, his heart beat faster, but he looked through every folder he found, determined to finish this. He knew that his carefulness was unnecessary – his brother would realize that he had been there.

His gaze fell on the photos standing on the desk: one of himself as an infant, and one with a younger Itachi and himself when they were kids. In sudden anger, Sasuke turned the photos face down on the table, but one of them slipped in the crack between the wall and the desk and fell down.

Sighing, he bent down to pick it up when he spotted the trash bin underneath the table. Itachi kept everything so tidy and clean; not a piece of dust was to be seen. Yet, the bin had not been emptied. A crumbled piece of paper was left in it. Without thinking, Sasuke took it out, wondering why Itachi would ever crumple something up before throwing it away. He hurriedly unfolded it.

It contained a hastily scribbled down address to a street in the suburban area. Followed by a message:  
_We have essential information about the Sharingan case, but in fear for our own lives_ _,_ _we cannot come forward with it publicly. We are willing to meet you secretly to share what we know. Please reach us_ _at_ _this number –_

Sasuke stared at it, completely mind blown. This was exactly what he had been waiting for. How could Itachi have thrown away something that important?

.

The alleyway was dark and cold. The only sounds that could be heard were of cars driving by in the distance. The man walked past the bars and the clubs, drunken men on the streets, and the women waiting to be picked up on the street corners, without sparing any of them a glance.

This was the part of his life that no one knew about – the darkest part. He quickly rounded a corner until he was standing in front of a firmly shut door. He took the fire escape on the other side, climbing up on the backside of the building. He had a full view over the city that was just about to go to sleep – but in the inner circles, the workday was just about to begin.

Itachi entered the dark room through the window, lowering the hood of his cloak.

He was greeted by a dark voice: "So you showed up after all."

"As we decided. Where is Tobi?"

"No one knows where he has gone – " Kisame begun, but was abruptly silenced.

"I am in charge as long as he is not present," Pein cut off sharply. "Are you here to fulfill your part of the agreement?"

The figures slowly came into focus as Itachi's eyes got used to the dark. The stern, mysterious Pein who was the organization's face to the public. Behind him, the grave woman who never left his side could be seen, as well as Sasori and Deidara, and Itachi's blue-skinned teammate.

"Yes," the Uchiha replied firmly. "I'll help you with your mission, if you assist me in tracking down a serial killer."

"What's so goddamn hard about that? I kill criminals for breakfast," Hidan snorted, who had suddenly appeared out of the shadows.

Itachi's eyes narrowed. "This person is uncontrollable and definitely not human. Our time is running out."

 

.

* * *

**What do you think? Please review, it's my best motivation! ~**


	8. I Need You

Sasuke crawled into the empty double bed, trying to shake off the feeling of uneasiness. He hated sleeping alone. After having shared a bed with his brother for so many years, he always found himself missing the warmth that used to be right by his side and holding him close. But lately, Itachi was never home at night. He was always busy with the case, working past the midnight hours.

The younger Uchiha was good at keeping the loneliness away, but sometimes, it came creeping up on him. He found himself curling up, trying to get some comfort by himself. He couldn't remember the last time he felt that worrisome. He glanced at the window, but the complete darkness outside made him feel even more alone. He tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

His brother's absence was starting to hurt more and more. And each time Itachi was gone, Sasuke was hit by the fear that he would not return. A life without him would be unbearable. The more he thought, the more uneasy he became. Sasuke gritted his teeth. _Get a hold of yourself._

In that same moment, something flashed past the window. He tensed up immediately, instinctively rolling away from it. It was impossible to tell what it was. The abstract fear was starting to tear on his sanity and the exhaustion didn't help. As he closed his eyes, Sasuke felt sudden warmth around his neck and back. He took a deep breath, trying to relax as he felt his brother's face press into his neck. His scent was calming, but Sasuke's heart was still beating hard.

"Otouto?"

Sasuke turned around to lie face to face with his brother, feeling his heart ache more than before. Itachi seemed to sense his mood, as he put one hand around his waist to pull him closer.

Sasuke rested his face in the crook of his neck without a word. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms tightly around Itachi. He had been pushing his sleep away for far too long and when he finally gave in **,** it was only a matter of seconds.

.  
.

After the first two murders, nothing seemed to happen for another couple of days. Shisui and Itachi kept on working and Sasuke's resolve grew stronger.

He couldn't forget about the note he had found in his brother's home office. He didn't want to confront Itachi about it just yet, knowing that it would ruin his plans. But when they had no other leads and no suspects, why not investigate this? Sasuke didn't understand. Itachi was very careful, but he should know that it was worth the risk to check it out. The most unusual and unexpected leads could sometimes result in a breakthrough, if you took the time.

The anonymous sender had even attached their telephone number, so Sasuke figured it wouldn't do any harm to check it out on his own. But after calling five times and only being met with a beeping sound that indicated a dead line, he realized that it might not be that useful after all. Before visiting the address, he planned to do additional research.

There was a problem though – the two older Uchihas did everything they could to keep him out of the case, even though he pried. Only once had he managed to get Shisui to talk.

"Have you found out anything?" Sasuke had asked.

"No. We're at a dead end." His cousin had shaken his head in his usual manner, playing with his pencil.

Sasuke wasn't giving up, however. "What about that man who tried to molest me in the streets?" he inquired.

"We checked him out first thing. He has a solid alibi for both times of the murders."

"And that is?"

"The first time, he was in the emergency room with his kid for a minor incident. The second time, he was at a local workshop with his car."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "You're telling me the same asshole who got me drunk is a father?"

Shisui looked graver than usual. "You know, it's not uncommon for predators to have a family of their own. He's been married for five years."

"So there's no way it can be him?"

Shisui shook his head. "He's a total creep, but there's absolutely nothing that can tie him to this crime. We had to eliminate him as a suspect. We still charged him for what he did to you, though."

Itachi who sat beside Shisui had decided to interfere, much to Sasuke's annoyance."The streets are filled with sick, dangerous people at night," he said darkly. "That's why I don't want you out there alone, ever again."

Sasuke focused on his older cousin again. "So we haven't got any suspects at all?"

"No. Aside from a few details - " Shisui began, but was silenced with a look from Itachi. The long-haired Uchiha continued sternly: "Sasuke, I don't want you to know anything else about this."

But the younger was determined. The day after, he stood outside his brother's study again. Shisui had gone home a few hours ago.

Sasuke had decided he was going to help solve this. A certain memory had been haunting him for a while now. " _Aside from a few more unpleasant matters, I just wanted to see how my nephews are doing."_

He took a deep breath and entered his brother's home office. It was now or never.

"Nii-san."

Itachi looked up from his laptop and closed it. "Good afternoon, Otouto."

"I need to talk to you." Sasuke wasted no time, looking straight at his brother. He couldn't back down now. He needed answers.

"I have to talk with you as well," Itachi began, a concerned frown visible between his eyebrows.

"No. You have to listen to me now. I want to help with the case."

"You cannot," the elder cut him off immediately.

The younger boy stood in front of him, a determined and defiant look on his face. Sasuke knew that this was going to be hard, but he had made up his mind.

"I'm not a child. Can you stop treating me like one? Even Father says I'm old enough to start working on my own cases." He tried to hide his frustration, but it was hard.

"It's out of the question." Itachi stood up as well, an unusually cold look in his eyes. "This is about life and death. We're dealing with a psychopath."

"But why can't you give me a chance? I can handle myself."

His brother looked tired and worn out. "Sasuke. Everyone around me is in constant danger. No one is safe until that person is caught."

The other tried to keep a straight face, but the frustration was taking over. "You are the one who doesn't understand! Why are you allowed to go out there, but I'm not? What if something happens to you?"

"Nothing will. Shisui needs my help, and I can take care of myself. Furthermore, I'm obligated to take care of this case."

Sasuke glared at him, feeling his defiance grow. "I'm going to catch this guy. You can't stop me."

Itachi's Sharingan activated, slightly startling the younger male. The elder's voice was hard and uncompromising. "When Mother and Father moved away, they made me your legal guardian. You agreed to that yourself. I won't let anything happen to you."

Sasuke forced himself to take a deep breath, trying not to lose his temper. "I know we have an uncle. No one told me."

His brother successfully hid any signs of surprise. "He's a distant relative." His tone clearly showed that he was not open for discussion, but Sasuke decided to push it further.

"What's his name? Where is he?"

"Madara Uchiha." Itachi's face was cold and unmoving.

Sasuke felt the taste of victory course through his body. "I want to visit him."

For the first time, his brother's face showed annoyance. "It wouldn't be about a friendly 'uncle Madara' visit. He is being chased by the FBI, Secret Service, and the entire Japanese police force. He is a madman. Furthermore, his location is unknown. He hasn't been in Japan in more than a decade."

"Why can't we search for him?"

Itachi gritted his teeth. "I told you. Being near Madara is dangerous. None of us are going to hunt him down. He has no humanity left; he will kill anyone who approaches him. Your foolish ideas won't lead anywhere."

Sasuke swallowed hard. He hated arguing with Itachi more than anything else, but he was too upset. "You never told me anything about this! I didn't even know! I remember, long ago... Madara has something to do with this, I know it. He was talking about something... is it related to the curse? He gave you that scar!"

He hardly noticed that he was raising his voice, his own Sharingan activating. "I have to know the answers. I don't care if you think I'm foolish. You don't have to see him if you don't want to. But I'm going, no matter if you like it or not!"

Itachi's jaw was locked tight. "You're underage and I'm the one who decides what you can or cannot do."

"You're still not my father." Sasuke didn't know why he felt the strong urge to defy his brother, but he had had enough. He stared at his him angrily, knowing that he was pushing too far.

Itachi gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down, but it was hard. His heart was beating fast. _You can't let yourself lose control, not here. Not that close to him._ His little brother was so naïve, so foolish. He had no idea what it was really like out there in the real, harsh world.

"I have his authority here and you know that." His voice was dark. He usually gave in to Sasuke's wishes, whatever they might be. But he had to be strict, this once. The thought of losing his brother was too heavy to face. Seeing how reckless the boy was, he had to go further.

"As long as this psychopath is on the loose, you are not to go anywhere without me or Shisui. I will have you home-schooled from now on. You must not leave the house. You are to be within my sight all the time, are we clear?"

Sasuke stared at him, caught between shock and rage. No way in _hell_.

"What are you talking about? My friends –"

"They can come over if they want to see you. You are not to visit them."

Sasuke was out of his mind. But worst of all was the feeling of utter helplessness. Knowing his brother had the upper hand, as usual, he snapped: "I'd be better off living with our parents anyway. Staying with you was the worst mistake of my life."

He didn't stay to take in the hurt and shocked facial expression of his brother, cracking his stern facade. He burst into his study, shutting the door behind him so violently that several books fell down from the shelves. He didn't know why he said that. He already regretted it, but it was too late.

His breathing was heavy, his vision going blurry. Sasuke had no idea what was going on – he was scared, upset and shocked. He stared at his own hands, watching his nails grow longer and turn into long, razor sharp claws. He stared into his reflection in the mirror, watching his pupils dilate until they swallowed his eyes and turned glowing red. _What's happening?_

He bit his teeth harshly, feeling the sharp edges cut into his tongue. He leaned against the wall for support as he struggled for breath. His claws opened and closed, scratching the wallpaper. He moved around the room, tearing down his bookshelves in violent anger. It felt good watching those annoying academic books lying there, torn open and damaged. He resisted the violent urge to throw his furniture out the window with all his might.

He demolished the armchair in the room until it was no longer recognizable. A deep, feral growl escaped his chest and he turned around, expecting to see a bear or a wolf in the room – but it was only himself.

It felt good. When he looked at the mirror again, he saw a demonic grin on his face, enchanted by his strongly glowing eyes.

He bit his tongue until he felt a metallic taste in his mouth. The taste of blood made him relax a bit and he swallowed hard, sucking at the wound. He clenched his fist and crushed the mirror into thousands of sharp pieces. It shattered all over and fell onto the floor. Eventually, after a couple of minutes, he calmed down. He threw himself on the bed that had never been used, suddenly exhausted. He drowsily inspected his hands, noticing that they had gone back to normal again.

He wasn't going to put up with this. If Itachi thought he could stop him from interfering with the case, he was dead wrong.

This wasn't about his freedom. This was about his brother. If Itachi were staying in with him, Sasuke could put up with it. But he just wouldn't let his brother be out there alone, playing with death while Sasuke waited inside like some fucking princess in a tower. No.

If Itachi was going out there, Sasuke was going too.

End of story.

.  
.

_I can't control it anymore._

A pack of crows flew towards the sky, croaking ominously. The wind moved the trees from their quiet slumber. They were alone, far, far from civilization. The birds in the area had left in screeching distress when they arrived.

Itachi felt pain ripping in his chest, leaving him cold. _I cannot ever risk it again. Not anywhere near Sasuke. It was too close today._

"It started with the first murder." It was crystal clear. He had never been that sure in his life.

His cousin was hesitant. "Itachi, think about it. There have been many killings during the last few years. What would make this any different?"

"Sasuke," he hissed through clenched teeth. "He was out there in the streets; he was too drunk to see straight. He would have been taken advantage of by that scum. But he survived. He fought him off with his bare hands. The first Sharingan killing started it all."

Shisui was still unsure, but nodded slowly. He thought that his cousin's theory was rather unbelievable. But on the other hand, Itachi was very sharp and had an incredible ability to see the truth behind things. He had never been wrong with his assumptions in the past.

The oldest Uchiha realized: "When he awoke, so did you..."

Itachi breathed harshly; his throat was painfully dry. He knew that the more worked up he got, the worse it would become. But there was no way to calm himself down now – he had been suppressing it for far too long. Shisui had taken him out here to be sure. Even though his instincts told him to run, Shisui couldn't leave his younger cousin all on his own.

The silence was creeping in on them; only Itachi's rough and staggered breathing was heard. The thought of his brother's hurtful words made him even more distressed. _Forgive me, Sasuke. I have to protect you, no matter what it takes._

_I never wanted to do this._

Shisui felt his heart beat hard, but the concern was stronger than the fear.

"It's okay, man. I won't judge. Go ahead."

"Shisui - I – I can't…" Itachi's voice was heavily strained. He was leaning against a nearby tree for support. He felt his entire body shake violently, and his stomach cramped as if he was about to throw up. When he closed his eyes, blurred images clouded his vision. It was impossible to focus. His eyes were stinging, forcing his Sharingan to activate.

"It's getting worse, isn't it?" Shisui sat on the ground beside him, worried.

"It's – awakening. I don't know –"

Trying to distract him, Shisui started babbling: "It's hard parenting teenagers, I feel you man. They are a lot to deal with, always defying; they don't know how to shut a door without cracking all the windows in the entire house, they sleep the entire day away and they'd rather fall down a hole of burning lava than do the dishes voluntarily! As my mother used to say, it's easier having three toddlers than one teenager. And don't get me started on love - "

Itachi groaned quietly. He couldn't keep it inside any longer. "Shisui… get away from me."

He despised himself for almost losing control in front of Sasuke. That could never, ever happen again.

With his next breath, he felt the coiling warmth inside of his chest explode with a force that blinded him. His vision blackened as a roar rose to the sky. He had lost all control over his body. There was only one feeling: the entire world was boiling, colliding, exploding, and he wanted to destroy it all. There was only hatred, only darkness. An abyss of death and destruction.

Energy, so cold and dark and hostile, had taken his body into possession. His vision was slowly coming back, reddish but brutally sharp. He felt his lips part over his teeth as he opened his fists, seeing the long, black claws ready to tear into something.

Shisui didn't recognize his best friend anymore. The Itachi he knew was gone, in this moment. Two bright red, glowing, merciless eyes stared at him, emphasized by that long, messy hair surrounding a completely ice-cold face. A fierce growl escaped his lips.

The older instinctively backed off, his Sharingan detecting a horrendously strong, dark chakra in front of him. Never in his life had he felt anything like that.

Yet the sympathy he felt for his cousin made him stay. "You're still in there, Itachi" he mumbled.

Something moved at the edge of his vision – a deer had gotten lost on its path, poking carefully in a bush.

A moment later, there was only a bloody heap of flesh left, and Itachi's claws were glowing as crimson as his eyes.

.  
.

Sasuke started regretting his choice of sleeping alone, but his pride was too strong to give in. He had demonstratively moved his pillow – or one of them, as he tended to use Itachi's as well – from the master bedroom to the small, unused bed in his study. It wasn't comfortable in any way, but the anger towards his brother was still burning in his chest.

Itachi wasn't home yet anyway, so he wouldn't have to see him until tomorrow. The realization that no one would snuggle up to his side at night was saddening, but he couldn't go on like this.

Again, he found himself unable to relax. Just as he entered a light slumber, a horrifyingly realistic dream took over his mind.

The eyes… cold, glowing red, made him wide awake. They felt so close… and whom they belonged to was even more terrifying. He couldn't make out the face, but the voice was strangely familiar. The sinister whispers in his mind returned as soon as he closed his eyes, and he found himself curling into a ball. He had never felt so vulnerable before.

The dark presence in his nightmares was stronger than him. And this time he was all alone.

* * *

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**Love, Crystallinee**


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